Twin Trouble at Destiny High
by princessOFdarkeness
Summary: When four teenagers from different ends of the social scale and from different cliques pair off and date, the school goes crazy! What happens when the four find out each other's deep dark secrets? Can their love survive?
1. Chapter 1: Moving In

Hello all! Hee he, just so you know this is a combined fic with TWO AUTHORS! Yup, you can count 'em: one, two! This fic is brought to you from the combined imaginations of **princessOFdarkness **and **twisted-hearts**!!!

Flashbacks are in **bold**, and the last person who talked will be the one talking as flashbacks are in first person! Thoughts are in _italics_. Song lyrics are in **_bold italics_**!

We do not own Kingdom Heart… sadly, or Starbucks… Oh my God I wish! Or any of the bands or movies we mention or the songs we have stuck in here from time to time unless we tell you we own it – in which case it probably belongs to **princessOFdarkness** seeing as she writes songs occasionally. But that's only if we say that **princessOFdarkness **wrote it mind you! (For example, the song in her story titled 'Without You Around' which Axel sings is hers because she wrote it herself!)

Yup, well that's it… so here we go then!

**Chapter 1: Moving In

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Miserable – that was the best word for the look on the faces of the two teenagers huddled together in the back seat of the rundown old car that was speeding them away from their home. The two looked at each other exchanging a look that could only mean one thing: _I want to go home._

The boy sighed deeply, his blonde hair falling gracefully in front of his crystal blue eyes as he glanced fleetingly at his twin sister. She was absorbed in a sketch at the moment, her eyes flitting this way and that as she smudged bits of her picture with the tips of her fingers and thumb, her pencil placed firmly between her teeth as she worked. Whether she could sense her brother's eyes on her staring at her or she could feel his tension, she looked up at him catching his eye again. Taking her pencil in hand she wrote three words, three small words her twin nodded in agreement with at once: _I hate this._

"Aw, why so glum kids?" Their stepmother asked a smirk firmly in place just for them. They both knew she hated them, not that she had ever said it aloud.

"Um, I don't know Larxene, let's think." The boy said feigning stupidity, a finger placed on his lips sarcastically pretending to be thinking deeply. "Oh, I know Larxene, I know what it is! OUR MOTHER JUST DIED OF CANCER!"

"Oh." Larxene said softly more to herself than to her stepson, turning back around so that she couldn't see him and the smirk now firmly in place on his mouth. "Well you could try to be a little nicer about Brandon."

Brandon – the antisocial authority-thwarting urban rebel emo outcast, or so everyone at their old high school had said when they talked about him behind his back as he walked passed them in the halls. Half the school had been terrified by his moodiness and avoided him, the other half choosing to 'beat his punk ass up.'

"I'll be nicer if you stop being a bitch." He whispered leaning against his sister's shoulder so that no one else would hear him, his sister giggling appreciatively at his comment.

"See, Jessica's not sulking like you are, she can still laugh. She's still acting like a human being instead of an emotionless gray lifeless rock." Larxene said pointedly, her lips curving in a smirk of her own. Jessica's laughter stopped immediately at her stepmother's retort. "Brandon, try and smile why don't you? It'd do you some good."

"I will, thanks for the advice." Brandon said grimly, flipping her off with a large smile in place. Jessica let out a stifled laugh, her hands placed firmly over her own mouth to keep herself quiet.

Jessica hadn't been much better off at their old high school – she was the outspoken contemporary semi-gothic alternative punk-rock opinionated idealistic artist. Her far reaching ideas and controversial art not exactly helping her up the rungs of the ladder to popularity. Many people said she could have been popular if she wanted to, but she had chosen early on that what was popular just wasn't for her. Instead of going with the crowd and being popular, she went the whole other direction whenever she could.

Jessica stopped smiling suddenly, her eyes clouding over as she turned her head to look out at the cars whizzing passed them. After so many years spent with his twin, Brandon could sense her different moods quite easily by just looking at her face. Frowning slightly, Brandon touched her arm gently to get her attention giving her a questioning look when she glanced his way.

"It's nothing really, just old memories and such." Jessica said throwing her twin a large fake smile as she wiped away the tears that had been forming at the corners of her eyes. "It – it was about Mother and that last day at the hospital, you remember?"

"I remember that day." Brandon said grimly. Reaching out, he pulled his sister towards him so that her head rested on his shoulder as more tears overwhelmed her. "How could I forget the day that ruined both our lives forever?"

"**Kids, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this." The tall doctor said grimly, pushing his glasses back up his nose. Why was he so upset all of the sudden and acting like her cared how we felt? All he liked us for was the money all our Mom's hospital bills brought in – all we were to him was a paycheck. "Your Mother held out as long as she could. We did everything we could to save her, but in the end the cancer was too much for her in her weakened state. I'm sorry, if there's anything I can do for you…"**

"**You already failed at that once, what makes you think you could do any better this time? If there was anything you could have done, you would have saved her but you couldn't even do that!" I shouted at him, my arms folded across my chest as I leaned back in my chair, my head falling back so I was looking at the white ceiling in my anger. "Just leave already, there's nothing else you can do right?"**

"**Still, if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." The doctor said slowly. "Is there anything I could do for you Miss?"**

"**There is, actually." My sister said suddenly, her head shooting up to look at him instead of the floor where they had been for the last hour of so. "I was wondering if the results for the tests you ran earlier had come in yet. MY test results."**

"**Last I checked they were still computing the data. I promise to tell you as soon as they're in, but if you don't mind I'm needed in the operating room. Excuse me." The doctor rushed of, his sneakers squeaking against the cold tiled floor.**

"**What tests were the two of you talking about?" I asked Jessica, trying to catch her eye unsuccessfully. "When did you have tests run?"**

"**Oh it's no big deal really Brandon, it was just a few tests they took yesterday. I hadn't been feeling too well lately so they figured it was better to be safe than sorry, you know how it is with doctors." Jessica said, her smile not quite meeting her eyes. Her smiled faded, a grimace setting in instead as she wrung her hands in her lap. "They think I'm fine and that nothing's wrong but this is just to be sure or so they said. They wanted to test me for the kind of cancer Mother…" **

**She cut off, her voice dying in her throat. She looked away from me to gaze across the room with large blank eyes devoid of all emotions in her terror.**

"**You're worried aren't you?" I asked her in a low soothing voice. I took her hand in my own, scanning her face.**

"**No, I'm not scared." Jessica said slowly, her hand trembling in mine. When she turned to look at me I saw something in her face I had never seen there before – hopelessness and despair written in her eyes. She, the ever hopeful one had given up all hope, instead choosing to bury herself in the despair of her situation. It reminded me of… well, me. "I'm not scared, I'm terrified."**

"Hey, are you just gonna sit there all day? Get out of the car already, we're here!"

"Alright, we're coming Father, head on inside without us! We're coming!" Jessica called through the open car window, unbuckling her seatbelt and scampering to get out of the car as fast as possible. Brandon took longer, taking his time as his sister rushed around like a chicken with its head cut off.

"Oh calm down, he's just being his usual dick-headed self Sis." Brandon signed lazily going to the trunk of the car to collect their suitcases. Jessica let out a strange sound somewhere between a sob and a laughed as she smacked him playfully on the hand. "What was that for? It's true isn't it?"

"Look, just stop it. You'll just egg him on which is the last thing we need, okay?" She said with a sigh as Brandon lifted the bags one by one out of the back of the car. "Just keep your head down, okay? Remember, anything that happens to you happens to me too."

"What does that mean?" Brandon asked her, confused. "Why would you have to pay for my comments and rebellion?"

"Remember what Father said about us being a 'matching set'? He said anything that happens to one of us happens-"

"Happens to both of us, I remember now. Sorry Sis, I guess I did forget about that." Brandon confessed sheepishly. He picked up all the bags and began heading for the front door.

"Hey, I can carry my own bags thank you very much!" Jessica protested tugging on the handle of her bag. "Let it go already, I can do it myself."

"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be carrying stuff around?" Brandon asked quietly. Leaning in he whispered in her ear. "You know, since-"

"Just because I'm SICK-" She snapped forcefully, surprising her brother. Jessica never snapped at her brother, had never raised her voice, had never truly had a real fight with him. Everything was always in fun – until now, she was serious this time. His grip loosened just enough that she was able to tug the suitcase out of his grip as she headed for the front doorstep. "- doesn't mean I can't do everything you can, I can still do things for myself. I understand you just want to help me, I really do. But I need to keep doing things for myself all the same because we both know this isn't going to go away any time soon so I better learn to live with it.. Besides, the doctors said they got it under control for the time being so it's not like I'm gonna fall over dead any moment or something crazy like that."

"KIDS, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Their father screamed from somewhere inside the house. Brandon bolted for the door, Jessica right behind him. The pair walked into the kitchen, both gagging on the smell that lingered there. A sicken cross between rotten food, whiskey, and cigarette smoke. The refrigerator door opened, their father grabbing a large glass beer bottle and taking a swig before turning to talk to them, a lit cigarette in hand, his lanky grey hair falling in front of his eyes. "You sleep in the room at the end of the hallway to the left. No sneaking food out of the refrigerator, no bringing friends over to the house, no touching me or your stepmother's things. Got it?"

"Yes sir." The twins said together. Their father nodded solemnly.

"Good, now go." He said sternly. When neither of them moved right away he roared at them. "GET OUT!"

"You know those are gonna kill you one day Xemnas?" They heard Larxene telling her new husband as they ran from the room.

"Thank God for that!" Brandon and Jessica said together as they carried their suitcases down the hall to their new room. Brandon grabbed the doorknob, yanking on it.

"It won't budge!" He complained through gritted teeth. Clasping the knob between both hands he counted to three, ramming his shoulder into the wood of the door on the last count. The door flew open with a loud creaking noise sending Brandon sprawling to the floor. Jessica gasped, rushing to help him up off the floor. He shrugged off her hands, picking himself up on his own and turning to look at the room. "Oh hell no, we're gonna live here!?!"

"I can't believe it, this can't be right." Jessica said softly, sinking to her knees beside her bags, her face in her hands. "We're going to have to live here with a cruel vain stepmother, an alcoholic dad, in a dilapidated house. I – I just don't –I can't."

"I know what you mean, and I know what you're thinking right now too." Brandon whispered, sinking down beside her. "You're thinking why did Mom leave us here with these people. Didn't she have a real plan for us, wasn't there anywhere else she could send us? Why did she have to abandon us like this when we needed her most-"

"No, she didn't abandon us! Don't say things like that!" She cut across him, looking up at him bewildered. "Mother would never abandon us! She didn't die on purpose Brandon, she just couldn't get better. She tried to get well; don't act like she didn't try to get better for our sakes."

"I know she tried, but I can't help but think if she'd tried her hardest she'd still be here with us and we wouldn't be in this nasty position." He stated coldly, standing and crossing to the window to stare out at the uncut back lawn with hollow eyes. "Come on, let's unpack and get settled."

Standing up, Jessica looked around the room, her large deep chocolate eyes the only thing exposing her pain to her brother as she did so. The room was small, smaller in fact than a normal sized bedroom. Inside in the corner was a bunk bed, a broken chest of drawers at the foot of it. The only other furniture in the room was a three legged desk, a cracked mirror, and a rotted out bookshelf leaning against a wall.

"So do you want the top of bottom?" Brandon asked his sister. "Personally I'd prefer to top if you don't mind."

"Take it, I want the bottom anyways." She smiled, setting her bag down on her bed with a small creak of bedsprings. "Can you really see me wanting to sleep somewhere that high off the ground? Are you kidding? I'm afraid of heights, oh, and the sick person really should have the top bunk so she can fall out of bed to her death. You get the top."

"Thanks a lot Sis." Brandon laughed knowing Jessica was just trying to make their situation seem less miserable than it was for his sake as much as her own. "So I'll take the trunk at the end of the bed and you can have the closet, okay? You have more clothes than me anyways."

"Alright." Jessica smiled to herself, knowing full well why her brother was being so nice to her. _If I said I was used to him being particularly nice to me because I'm sick then I'd be lying, _Jessica thought to herself as she began hanging her clothes up in the closet in a neat little row.

"It smells like shit in here, do you think we could force the window open maybe?" Brandon said, a look of disgust playing across his face. Jessica nodded and went to the window, pulling on the handle as her brother began taping up his many overlapping posters of all his favorite bands on the ceiling above his bed. Finally forcing the window open, Jessica smiled at the crisp breeze that blew around the room, rustling her long brown hair gently as she stared at the view out her window. "Whatcha looking at Sis?"

"Just the view." She replied, sticking her head out of the window to get a view of the houses on either side of them. "Hmm, I wonder…"

"What are you talking about now?" Brandon asked loudly bringing her out of her thoughts and back to the present.

"I was just wondering what Father would say if he came to check on us and we weren't here. You know, hypothetically and all." Jessica said slowly, twiddling her thumbs. "Like if we were to climb out the window or something just as convenient."

"Well let's think about that." Brandon said sarcastically, much like he had in the car ride with his stepmother. "Seriously, he'd kill us if we snuck out. You know that."

"I know, I was just thinking." Jessica smiled at her brother, sticking her head back out of the window so that she was leaning over the sill as the light wind caressed her face and neck. "I can't wait until we're eighteen, then we can live on our own you know? Two and a half years left. I hate being fifteen and a half sometimes."

"You're telling me." He sighed, jumping off his bed to land beside her. "Hey, move out of the way a second. This bookshelf has to go, it sticks and the bottom's rotten out. I'm tossing it."

"Need any help?" Jessica asked, pouting when her brother shook his head. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't help you out you know?"

"I know, but still." He grunted, lifting the bookcase with some difficultly and tossing it out of the window. Brushing off the front of his shirt he turned back to his sister. "So, do you feel up to exploring out new town or not?"

"I guess so, but let me change first." She said, opening the doors to the closet. She riffled through her things, finally pulling out a pair of black jean capri pants artfully ripped at the knees, a pair of hot pink and black Converse sneakers, a hot pink tee shirt with a black and silver guitar stitched on the front and a long sleeved plain black hoodie. Brandon sniggered as she rushed to the bathroom to change. "What's so funny?"

"It's the day before summer break ends and you're wearing a hoodie." He said pointedly pulling on her sleeve. "I suppose I really can't talk. I'm wearing black too even if I did have the sense to wear short sleeves. Well come on then, let's go."

Brandon pulled the door to their room open slowly, both of them slipping out into the hallway. Walking carefully and quietly they headed for the living room where they could hear the television blaring. Stepping inside they found Xemnas and Larxene sitting on the couch together drinking from the same beer bottle and smoking a couple of cigarettes. Jessica let out a little cough because of the smoke and retreated back into the hallway gasping for air.

"Dad, me and Jess are going out to look around okay? We'll be back before dark." Brandon said heading back for the hallway as his father grunted in response. Reentering the hall he found his sister leaning against a wall breathing heavily. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I can't stand smoke, especially cigarette smoke." She sighed, coughing. "So are we allowed to go?"

"I guess, I didn't ask really. I told him we were leaving and would be back before dark." He shrugged, pulling open the front door and stepping out into the sunlight. "Well are you coming or not?"

"Do you really think I wanna stay here?" Jessica asked back causing her brother to laugh as they began walking down the street, trudging up the highway towards where they knew the town was situated. After nearly an hour of walking Jessica finally stopped. "How far is this town anyways?"

"I have no clue, but close I hope." Brandon sighed, continuing to walk. Just then a convertible when whizzing passed them, nearly hitting them as it swerved sideways. Jessica tripped in her surprise as the car revved passed, catching her ankle on a rock and twisted her ankle, falling off the highway to land in the grass at the edge while Brandon had merely turned to scowl and cuss after the car that had offended them, not even bothering to help his sister off the ground. The car suddenly pulled a U-turn and came back, the two people inside of it climbing out and coming over to where the siblings were.

"Oh my God, are you alright? I didn't hit either of you did I?" A teenage boy with brown spiky hair asked Brandon as his friend moved to help Jessica off the ground.

"No, I'm fine." Brandon said stoically, looking the boy in front of him up and down slowly before letting his deep frown slip into a light smirk of amusement.

"You must be new in town huh, my name's Sora." Sora smiled holding out a hand for Brandon to shake. Brandon stared down at his hand for a long moment before talking it, his long fingers closing over Sora's hand as he smiled at him for the first time. Sora smiled back.

"Are you alright?" Jessica heard the other ask her as she watched her brother and Sora talking together. Turning her attention onto the person towering above her she felt her breath escape her as the boy knelt down beside her and pulled her up into a sitting position looking deeply into her eyes.

"I'm okay I guess, thank you." Jessica said in a small voice as she took in the appearance of her savior. He had a long pale face, his long silver hair falling in front of his aqua green eyes. "I'm Jessica, we just moved in down the road."

"I'm Riku, nice to meet you Jessica." He smiled, offering her a hand. She took it, but before she could shake it he brought it to his lips and placed a light kiss upon it before releasing it and standing up. "So what were you guys doing walking up the side of the road anyway?"

"We were headed into town, you know, to look around and – OUCH!" Jessica gasped as she tried to stand up and put pressure on her twisted ankle, falling forwards. Luckily – or unluckily – she managed to fall into Riku rather than onto the ground again. Riku caught her, holding her upper arm protectively to keep her from falling as she clutched his shoulder in pain. "My ankle, I must have twisted it when I fell."

"Oh, here let me help you." Brandon said sounding worried, going and pulling his sister's arm around his shoulders to support her as she pulled away from Riku. "Maybe we better just go home. We can go into town tomorrow, thanks guys but we better get going."

"Wait a second, why don't you let me give you a ride home." Sora said enthusiastically tugging on Brandon's wrist. "I feel bad, seeing as it's kinda my fault. I bet she wouldn't have tripped if I hadn't have swerved like that and almost hit you."

"I don't know Sora. You don't seem like that good of a driver to me." Brandon said slowly, his sister knowing he was searching for a way to put Sora down gently. But in the end he gave up that search, just telling it to the immature boy like it was. "Personally I'd feel safer walking if you catch my drift. Sorry Sora, but really. Riding in a car with you driving seems like a death sentence."

"What if I drove?" Riku asked, glancing at Jessica as he said it. She looked down at her shoes pretending not have to notice this. "Unlike Sora, I actually have my license. Sora here only has his temps. What do you say then?"

"I still don't-" Brandon began.

"That would be great, thanks Riku." Jessica said sharply, cutting Brandon off. He looked momentarily taken aback, but glancing between his sister's face and Riku's her nodded, helping his sister hop over to the passenger seat of the car and clamber in before jumping the side almost lazily and landing in the back beside Sora. Riku slipped into the driver's seat, put it back in drive and started down the road.

"So what school are you two going to be attending then?" Sora asked Brandon as they drove, breaking the slightly uncomfortable silence that had been brewing in the car.

"Oh, um… Jessica, what's the name of it again?" Brandon asked her sticking his head up between the gaps in the seats to look at his sister where she sat beside Riku looking at the scenery.

"It's called Destiny High, the local private school you know?" Jessica said nonchalantly.

"You're kidding!" Sora laughed causing Brandon and Jessica to look back at him. "That's where Riku and I go with all our friends! This is great!"

"Maybe we'll see each other again then, huh Jessica?" Riku asked casually, but he still cast an intriguing glace at the girl in the seat beside him before looking back at the road.

"I suppose we might." Jessica said, still not looking at him. Brandon smirked to himself and leaned back in his seat beside Sora, chatting with Sora the rest of the way home about different bands they liked and music they couldn't stand, both deciding that rap and hip hop were completely pointless.

"Seriously, it makes no sense you know?" Sora explained, his hands flying this way and that as he spoke. "Half the time you can't even understand what they're singing about to begin with, though it's usually sex and girls."

"I know, it's just crazy stuff." Brandon agreed, nodding his head up and down.

Riku was having more trouble getting Jessica to open up to him than Sora was having with Brandon. No matter how hard he tried, how many topics of conversation he brought up she refused to keep the conversation rolling or give in to his attempts to charm her into liking him.

"Do you like it here so far?" Riku asked Jessica as he stopped at the traffic light.

"Not really, but I've only been here a few hours. It seems a bit boring after my last home back in New York City where there's always something to do." Jessica said casually twirling a piece of hair around her finger without looking at him. "I mean, okay, so I walked up the street and almost got ran over. I really don't have a fair basis for comparison."

"Well do you like road racing?" Riku tried next, looking at her intently trying to catch her eye. She didn't give in. "Couple of the guys I go to school with have races every other weekend or so if you're interested."

"Racing is so dumb." Jessica said sternly, throwing him a contemptuous glare which he didn't notice until she had looked away and it was too late for him to catch her eye. "You usually go around in circles and it's only exciting when someone crashes or the police shows up to send everyone to jail. Either way it has a bad turn out and it's boring about eighty percent of the time."

"Pizza, you have to like pizza! Everyone likes pizza." Riku said matter-of-factly, thinking he had finally caught her on something. Boy was he wrong.

"I don't really care for pizza to tell the truth." Jessica said making Riku's mouth hang open. "Okay, the occasional slice of thin crust pepperoni with extra sauce and cheese is nice, but like twice a year unless it's really good and then I'll eat it maybe once every month or so. Not a big fast food addict really, unlike Brandon how could eat it everyday for every meal."

"So true, so true Jessica!" Brandon laughed from the back seat, breaking from his conversation with Sora about whether or not Benji or Joel from 'Good Charlotte' was cooler just long enough to say those five words, returning to the argument almost at once.

"Anymore questions then Riku or are you stumped?" Jessica asked him sounding a bit annoyed while secretly smiling to herself. _Why's he trying to hard to get me to talk to him, _Jessica asked herself. _Seriously, doesn't he get that I'm not interested? And still he persists… I like that. He's determined, that's for sure but he still looks like a pretty boy and from everything he's said he is one. Someone give me a sign that shows he's at least reasonably intelligent and I'll give him a chance without shooting him down every chance I get!_

"Oh, I have a question for you! Pick me, pick me!" Sora shouted from the back seat poking Jessica in the shoulder. She nodded, turning to look at him, missing the downcast look on Riku's face. "Which is hotter: Orlando Bloom or Josh Lucas?"

"Come on Sora, what kind of question is that?" Brandon laughed before Jessica could answer him. "It's completely pointless. Everyone knows Orlando Bloom is way hotter than Josh Lucas! He made a fictional character with pointy ears look hot for God's sake! If that's not hot I don't know what is."

"Nu uh Brandon, you're so wrong! Josh Lucas is like the next Mathew McConaughey!" Sora said spiritedly. "Seriously, did you see Josh Lucas in 'Stealth,' so flipping sexy in that role."

"Why don't you let the girl answer the question about which guy is hotter, shall we boys? Go on Jessica, care to answer the question?" Riku asked her kindly shutting the boys up so she could answer.

"I don't know Sora, really they're both hot, but seriously if you were asking me which one I would rather date I'd say neither. I don't like just judging people by their looks you know?" Jessica explained playing with a strand of hair that had fallen in her face. "Personalities are much better to base any friendship or long term relationship on in my opinion; looks fade over time while the intellect and the personality do not."

"Deep, very thoughtful answer, I like that." Riku smiled at her, secretly worried that he might be one of those 'pretty-guys' who have no real talents at all.

"Riku, did you leave your usual charm at home?" Sora popped up beside Riku's ear so that only he could hear him whispering. "It's not working with this one Riku, what's wrong with you today? Usually you'd have them fawning all over you by now. Is your usual aura of attraction broken? You really show have that fixed before you embarrass yourself, oh wait, you already are!"

"Shut the hell up Sora, unless you wanna lose your nose." Riku said to his friend. "I'm not hitting on her okay, I'm just trying to be nice and friendly... and I'm totally and shamelessly flirting with her I know. She's adorable and different and I just saw something in her eyes when she looked at me that made me want to get to know her better – stop laughing at me right now Sora. By the way, I do not wanna here a word about this Sora. Help me, I'm running out of topics…"

"And the happy game of Twenty Questions ends here then. Thank God!" Jessica said quietly to Brandon as she turned around in her seat to talk to him. "This is so uncomfortable! Wanna switch me seats?"

"How do we switch seats in a moving vehicle? That is kinda dangerous." Brandon smiled at his sister, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"I don't care, I'm about to jump over the edge of the window!" She whispered heatedly. "He's driving me crazy with questions!"

"Jessica?" Riku said loudly. With a small moan of despair Jessica turned around and looked into his face, her eyes meeting his for the first time sine they first met.

"Yes Riku, what do you want to ask me now?" Jessica asked with a sigh, her head lolling back against the headrest.

"So Jessica, how do you feel about sports?" Riku asked her hopefully.

"Most sports are boring or overly-rough in my opinion. Too many people get hurt in sports for my taste. It's like the teenage equivalence to a war, except you don't bring bombs onto a basketball court." Jessica said unanimated. As she reached the end of her opinion she paused, looking hesitant about what she next wanted to say to him. "Well, except…"

"Except what, what sports do you like?" Riku asked, praying he had finally found a topic he could latch onto.

"I like badminton, soccer, and tennis. Girly sports, I know but there you have it." Jessica confessed.

"No, those aren't girly sports at all." Riku said sweetly. "I've played soccer on the school team since I was in fifth grade or so, and I've played tennis before. I've never played badminton to tell the truth but it sounds okay. That's the one with the birdie right?"

"Yeah, the one with a birdie." Jessica giggled. Brandon pulled up beside her ear and whispered only five words in her ear – _talk to him for real._ "So what sports do you play Riku?"

"Oh, I um…" Riku said sounding a little surprised that she was allowing the conversation to float instead of sinking it at once. Jessica laughed at him quietly, encouragingly. "I play baseball, soccer, and football. Basketball was never my thing. Or golf really. The tennis and badminton teams have been all girls for years, but boys are allowed not that I'll join the team."

"Why not, if it's something you like you should go for it." Jessica said, looking straight at him this time.

"I'd never hear the end of it from the guys." Riku said sounding uncomfortable, fully aware that she was staring him down. This time he didn't want to catch her eye, he didn't want to see her looking in disappointment at his cowardice like he knew she undoubtedly was.

"Yeah, Riku has his image to worry about Jessica. He can't afford to make a wrong move!" Sora laughed from the back seat. "Riku's in the 'IN' crowd, he's too popular to make an uncool move like that."

"Oh, so you'd do anything to keep your status?" Jessica asked him sounding disgusted. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "This is it, pull over so we can get out."

"Oh, okay." Riku said softly, pulling over. Jessica and Brandon climbed out of the car, and after Brandon paused for a mere moment to whisper something in Riku's ear, the two headed towards the front door of heir house together. When neither turned around to say goodbye Riku called out to them. "Bye guys, see you tomorrow! Good bye Jessica!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Brandon!" Sora called. "Oh, you too Jessica, I'll see you too!"

Brandon waved over his shoulder in response to Sora's call, but Jessica didn't bide in the slightest, slipping inside the house ahead of Brandon so that she was out of sight. They walked quietly down the hall to their room, closing the door behind them.

"Jessica, before you say anything I totally agree." Brandon said with a smile. Jessica looked up at him perplexed, sure he couldn't' know her thoughts. "Riku's so sexy, you got yourself a hottie chasing after you girl! Damn!"

"Shut up, that's not what I'm thinking." Jessica said turning pink.

"Oh don't lie to me I'm your brother I know when you lie." Brandon countered her. He actually sung his next accusation. "You think he's sexy, you wanna date him, and he is so fine! La la la laaa la!"

"Okay, so he's attractive, big deal." Jessica smiled to herself. Giving in slightly she glanced up at her brother's amused expression. "God, he is so hot. I mean, I sat next to him all that time and it was so hard not to look over and just stare at him."

"Well why didn't you?" Brandon asked her climbing up to lie down on his bed looking down at her where she stood.

"I didn't want to give him the enjoyment that came with knowing that I was staring at him. He's got a big enough ego at it is, he doesn't need his head to swell up anymore." Jessica said slowly. "Did you listen to the thinks he was trying to get me to talk about? Totally shallow, I mean really. What Sora said about his popularity – could he get any more arrogant?"

"You're only saying that because you don't want to let yourself get attached to him. You've been distancing yourself from me and everyone else lately and I think I know why." Brandon said sadly. "I understand what you're going through, I really do."

"What do you know about me?" She snapped back, crossing to the window and sticking her head out of it to breath in the cool night air.

"I understand a lot more than you think I do Jess." He said, jumping down and moving to put his arm around her shoulders. She recoiled, rushing into her closet and closing the door behind her. Brandon pulled on the handles attempting to open the door but it wouldn't budge. "Come out Jessica!"

"No, you can't make me! I just want to be alone right now." She said softly. He could tell she was crying.

"You may not think I understand, but I do. You've been like this ever since Mom died. You were so close to her Jessica, and when she died you realized for the first time that not everything goes the way it should. You found out that the people we love most can unintentionally hurt us." Brandon said, his voice quavering slightly with his mixed emotions he had pent up inside for far too long. "Please, I do understand, because I feel the same way. Except I'm not trying to hide my feelings from the world like you are, it's okay to cry you know."

"I can't cry. I have to be strong and take care of you." Jessica said through the wood of the door.

"What makes you think you have to take care of me?" He asked.

"Mother told me the night before she died that if anything happened to her that it was my job to take care of you and make sure you didn't do anything totally stupid that made you wind up in a jail cell." Jessica called back, opening the door. One moment she was standing there in front of him looking up at him with a look of pure agony, the next she was in his arms, her head pressed into his shoulder as she cried.

"It's okay Jessica; everything is going to be alright." He cooed, stroking her hair. Once she had stopped crying, Jessica pulled away, going to sit instead on the edge of her bed. "Feel better?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She said in a small voice, her eyes red from where she had cried. "I feel terrible about what I did to Riku. Maybe I shouldn't have been so standoffish towards him."

"Yeah, maybe you could have eased up a little." He winked, giving her a playful poke in the arm. "Well you can always try again tomorrow. Tomorrow he might have thought of something a little more in your interests to talk about."

"And how is an idiot like him going to figure out anything to talk to me about?"

"Maybe a little bird will tell him." Brandon smirked to himself. And in truth, he was being quite literal about the little bird…

"**What did I say to make her so… what's the word I'm looking for -standoffish?" Riku asked himself as Jessica climbed out of the car.**

"**Hey Riku, you want some advice fro the next time you talk to her?" I smiled wickedly, knowing full well that if my sister ever found out about this that she was going to be pissed at me.**

"**Of course I do, tell me!" Riku said anxiously. Bending down I told him the only way I could explain it to him.**

"**For a start, stop talking about stupid shit, okay?" I said, smirking at his confused expression. "Pizza, ht guys, sports – It's all stupid as far she's concerned. Try talking about something she likes. Like books and art and white roses."**

"Well, I'm going to sleep, have to be ready for tomorrow. It's our first day at Destiny High."

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Hope you liked it, I know we liked writing it. Leave a review and you get a cookie! Oh and if you get a review response it's from both of us! Much love, until the next chapter! 


	2. Chapter 2: The First Day

**Jessica:** **Why is almost no one reading this story? We had ONE REVIEW, which I greatly appreciate all the same. We worked so damn hard on it! Brandon: People are reading it, they just don't like it. If they did, they'd leave a review. Simple as that. Jessica: I think I'm gonna cry now! (Sobs uncontrollably in a corner rocking back and forth in misery) Brandon: No, don't cry, that's almost as bad as going all emo and slitting your wrists – which you will NOT do, damn it!!! JESSICA, GET OUT OF THAT CORNER RIGHT NOW!!!**

**(Elevator music plays in the background)**

Alright, that's the end of that nice little conversation. Ahem… So anyways, please. Leave a review this chapter; this whole no reviews thing is driving me into becoming emotionally unstable end of my brain!!! Really, Brandon's upset too, but me more so I do believe. It makes me wanna cry, people can't take a minute out of their schedule to leave me a tiny review to say what they thought of all our hard work. Please, make me feel loved and leave a review! Cookies for reviewers!!!

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**Chapter 2: The First Day

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**

"Brandon,"

No reply, just more snoring from under the large mount of fluffy pillows and blankets situated on the top half of the bunk bed.

"Oh Brandon, come on already, wake up. You've gotta get up and get dressed!"

"Shhhhh, I'm still sleeping…" He responded drowsily at last, flipping over to lay face first into his uncomfortably lumpy pillow, not that he cared how uncomfortable it was right at that particular moment as he was still divulged in his own happy little dream-land. This comment earned him a light playful smack on the back of the head from his sister, who had to stand on the edge of her bed to reach him being as short as she was. "Stop it, damn it! I'm tired you bitch…"

"Come on Brandon, today is our first day at Destiny Island Private High School Academy so you need to look at least halfway presentable! Get out of bed this instant and get ready would you? I don't wanna be late on our first day!" Jessica begged her brother to no avail, for of course it had been her trying to rouse him unsuccessfully for the past twenty or so minutes.

"Sis, five more minutes please! I was having a great dream too, I was making-out with…" He said lazily so that all his words slurred together, falling back asleep in an instant so that his sister was left to once again listen to the sound of his snores in their otherwise silent room. _Oh Sora, your lips are just so soft and kissable, _Brandon sighed in his halfway stage between sleep and waking, secretly glad that his sister couldn't read his thoughts. Not that she couldn't have guessed by the way he had said 'making-out' but why should she ruin his naïve idea that she had no idea what he was talking about?

Jessica sighed, crossing to the door and heading into the hall, her black messenger bag with the large red star she had painted on it over her shoulder as she went, her small pink and black purse tucked securely inside it along with her sketch book which she never left the house without. "Alright, suit yourself then Brandon."

"I will thank you, now shut up and leave me alone! God, you're worse than an alarm clock sometimes. You're defiantly louder than any damn alarm clock I've ever seen in my fifteen and a half years on this planet, though you can force an alarm clock to shut up unlike you and your big mouth!" He shouted groggily back, flinging a pillow at her as he wiggled around in his bunk trying to get comfortable. She dodged it easily, her brother getting on her last nerve – time to play dirty.

"Fine, have it your way, I'll leave you alone so you can sleep." She smiled to herself as she moved to leave and close the door behind her as she went. Leaving it open just an inch or so, she called back to her brother where still he lay in his bed. "Oh well, I was going to make your favorite, you know, those fluffy blueberry pancakes I used to make for breakfast but never mind about you getting any since you don't want to get up and get dressed. I'll just have to eat them all by myself then, sleep well." And then she shut the door.

It took almost thirty seconds, just long enough for Jessica to rush down the hallway and into the kitchen, for her last comment to sink into her brother's sleep-logged brain. As soon as it had sunk in however he sprung out of bed looking wildly around the room, flinging the blankets to the floor. Jumping the side of his bed, landing on his feet beside his trunk full of clothes he riffled through it. Deciding hastily on and outfit and throwing it on before wrenching open the door and rushing down the hall towards the kitchen, his black messenger bag tucked under his arm as he hopped up and down trying to put his shoes on as he went.

Jessica was singing softly under her breath to herself when her brother entered the kitchen, a variety of food sitting on the table looking expectant as she pulled a bowl and a large pan out of the cabinet. She smiled at him, putting on her white apron while motioning for him to sit down at the table while she worked.

"Good morning Sis, nice to see you so happy even if I can't understand what's so good about this morning since mornings suck as a rule for me. Where did the food come from?" Brandon asked her as he sat down, leaning his chair back on two legs as he stared over at her as she took the food and arranged it over the tabletop. "I sunk in here late last night around midnight to get something to eat like I always do when I can't sleep. The only things in that refrigerator were a couple of beers and a moldy looking pickle in a jar on the second shelf."

"I woke up really early this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so I walked up to the grocery store to get food for breakfast." Jessica said cheerily as she pour her ingredients into a bowl, mixing them with a large wooden spoon she had found in a drawer moments before. Singing softly as she went, she walked slowly around the kitchen with the bowl tucked in the crook of her arm mixing the ingredients together.

"Where did you get the money for that stuff? You can't honestly tell me that Dad or Larxene gave you food money." He said, looking up at her as he fiddled with his hair, trying halfheartedly to flatten it under his palms. Sighing, his sister pointed with her spoon at the counter where a comb lay waiting for him which he gratefully rushed over and picked up to run through his flyaway bed-head hair.

"I used some of my own money, you know, my left over birthday money from last year that I had saved up for a rainy day and all that jazz." She said in a singsong voice before going back to singing as she turned the stove on and placing the buttered pan on top of the stove and pouring some of her batter into it in so that it sizzled on the surface in the shape of a perfect pancake circle.

"You used your birthday money on my breakfast?" Brandon asked, groaning when she nodded not looking up from her cooking as she was so intent upon making it perfect. "What have I told you Jessica? I don't like you spending your money on me okay? Just ask me next time you need money, save up your money for something you really want like a new easel or something."

"I'm not going to ask you for money Brandon. I'm not broke yet and I fully intend on getting a part-time job as soon as we get completely settled in." She commented pulling a spatula out of a drawer at her right and flipping the golden brown pancake just in time so that it didn't burn. "Look, we'll switch off on who buys the groceries every week since apparently Dad and Larxene eat out for every meal and have no intention of taking us with them. You can foot the bill next time, we gotta a deal?"

"That's fairer I suppose. You got yourself a deal Sis." He smiled as she set the pancake down in front of him, a glass of milk set down beside the steaming plate seconds later. Brandon glanced at the perfect pancake for a second, silently thanking God for giving him a sister that could cook so well before inhaling his pancake in a little under a minute. As soon as it was gone, Jessica slid another onto his plate, patting his hair as she walked back to the stove to cook her own breakfast. While she sat down to eat her own breakfast, Brandon cleared away her ingredients and deposited his plate in the sink with the other pile of dirty dishes. "How did you get so good at that?"

"Get so good at what Brandon?" She asked after she swallowed the food in her mouth, dumping the rest of her uneaten food in the trashcan, placing her dishes in the sink on top of Brandon's.

"You know, cooking and all that other stuff you do." Brandon said, watching her as she cleaned up her spot with an unhappy look towards the trashcan. "Why didn't you eat that? It was half a blueberry pancake! You could have at least given it to me if you didn't want it for God's sake!"

"Forgive me for that lapse of memory but I forgot that you'd eat the plate if it was edible, seeing as you've got a bottomless pit for a stomach and all." She smiled as she looked through her bag for her pale pink lipstick, pulling it out along with her compact mirror and putting it on before turning back to her previous conversation. "As for the cooking question, I learned it all from our Mother of course. I watched her and how she did things around the house all day while you were out with your friends playing boy games with bugs and rattlesnakes or whatever you did back when we were younger. You had friends back then."

"Yeah, I know I did. That didn't last long now did it?" He said scornfully, slouching slightly. She placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "It's fine Sis, who needs a bunch of stupid friends when I've got a twin sister like you?"

"I still wish you had friends Brandon, even if it was just one really good friend you really cared for." She said softly, looking deeply into his eyes with a frown. "If you found a friend you could truly care about and trust, you have no idea how happy I'd be. You'd finally have someone to hang out with instead of always staying home every Saturday."

"I know you do Jess, but it's never gonna happen. I'm too much of a freak to have any friends." He joked, sticking his tongue out at her making her laugh. He smiled wickedly, tickling her ribs so that she shrieked in her laughter struggling to pull away from him as he continued to tickle her to the point where she couldn't breathe.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING IN THERE? SHUT THE HELL UP WHILE WE'RE TRYING TO SLEEP!" Xemnas suddenly shouted at them from his bedroom down the hall. The twins looked at each other for a split second before grabbing their bags and rushing out the front door, sunning quickly away down the road.

"That sure was a close one!" Brandon smiled to himself as they walked down the road. He glanced over at his sister's face. She looked pale and worried, a look he hadn't seen her wear since they first found out about their Mother's illness. "What's wrong Jess?"

"Oh, um nothing Brandon, don't worry about it." Jessica smiled back at him, a large fake smile that showed all her teeth as they continued down the road to where they thought the school might be located.

"Jess, what is it?" He asked her, stopping right where he was as he grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing her to look into his face. "What's bothering you so much? You know you can tell me anything right? Just tell me what's bothering and I'll fix it whatever it is, I promise."

"What if no one likes me? What if I don't fit in here? I mean fit in more than I did at our old school back in New York. As if I really fit in back there, I was like a jet black circle among a lot of pale pink squares. What am I gonna do if I can't make friends here Brandon?" She asked in a small voice, for once in her life unsure of herself. "I like being me a lot and couldn't be anyone else if I tried, and I don't need friends for life to continue even though I do want them, but what if just being me isn't enough to make friends around here Brandon?"

"It's more than enough Jessica, and if they can't see that then their complete stupid moronic blithering idiots." He said serious, causing her to giggle softly before they began walking again. Throwing caution to the winds, Brandon said what he was thinking, knowing she would yell at him as soon as he brought it out into the open. "You can always talk to Riku. He seemed to like you a whole bunch. I mean, damn Jessica, I've never seen someone as hot as him flirt with any girl that long without getting the girl to flirt back or faint or something to that extent. I think you broke a record for longest time snubbing such a sexy hot in-crowd person or something like that."

"That's not funny." She said trying to act upset without managing to pull it off. She looked upset for half a second before bursting out laughing just as they entered the city limits. The mall on one side, the Destiny Island Private High School Academy on the other, offices and skyscrapers down the road but still in view, the city was quite a sight to behold. "This is it, let's get this over with. You ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be." Brandon smiled, pushing his bag a little higher up his shoulder before pushing the door of the school open for them to walk inside. "Holy-"

The first time a new student walked inside Destiny Island Private High School Academy, they panicked. It was almost a tradition for the new student to run right back out of the front doors and the principal have to send another student he could trust to be nice to them go and collect them. This was not the case for the twins however. Taking a deep breath, Jessica and Brandon headed down the main hallway where most of the students were standing in small groups talking to each other about what they did over the summer. _Intimidating, yes, _Jessica thought as they strode down the hallway, _but I've never backed down from a challenge yet and I don't intend to do it now. _As the twins passed, people quieted staring after them with looked of amusement and curiosity on their faces.

"Why are they staring at us like that? Is something stuck in my teeth?" Brandon whispered to his sister, feeling anxious as to why everyone glanced their way as they walked. She shrugged her shoulders and kept walking. The reason for the staring was easy enough to figure out once she thought about it, not that she intended to tell her brother that. One look at the other students told her why they stared. They had committed fashion suicide.

In his baggy green cargo pants, a tight black tank top with a large white guitar painted on the front and his Panic! At the Disco jacket, a short studded belt wrapped up his left arm like a bracelet and a large silver skull and crossbones ring on his right hand ring finger, Brandon looked like something out of a rock concert – which apparently wasn't the way teenagers from this school dressed. Everyone was dressed the same in plaid skirts, khaki capri pants, long dark blue jeans, dressy button-ups, and sweaters, all lipstick and made-up like dolls on display in a store window.

In her own opinion, Jessica didn't look much better than her brother and she certainly didn't fit in any better with the preps. Not thinking about what private school teens wore she had worn her black knee length ruffle skirt and white tights with black and white star flats, a long white elbow sleeve shirt embroidered with silver stars and a pair of long dangling clear star earrings. She didn't fit in at all, not ever her hairstyle fit in – two twisted buns she had yanked down to dangle down to brush her shoulders instead of being pressed right up against her head, a large black ribbon tied with the bow on top of her head.

"You must be our two new students." A voice said behind them. Turning they saw a small group of students smiling at them as they all extended hands for the twins to shake. "I'm Namine, the quiet blonde one is named Tidus, that one with the orange hair is Wakka, and the grumpy looking girl is Paine. Welcome to our High School!"

"Thanks um, Namine, its good to know someone around her knows how to be nice to the new kids. Sadly I was beginning to loose faith that anyone would talk to us." Brandon smiled at her. She smiled back, nodding her head.

"Yeah, the whole school for the most part is a bunch of snobby rich preps. We're the freaks who don't fit in." She said sadly, gesturing at her outfit. She was wearing a white dress and black combat boots which surprisingly didn't look that bad together, her blonde hair flying this way and that under her small white knit cap.

"Hope you don't mind my sayin' so, but you twos look like you ain't gonna fit in too well here either." The orange hair boy Namine had called Wakka said with a chuckle. Wakka was in a long blue and orange basketball jersey and a pair of blue jeans, a basketball tucked under one arm.

"Can it Wakka, that's not a very kind thing to say. No wonder you only have three friends. Seriously, we want them to be our friends so stop saying stupid stuff or they might not like us which is the last thing I want." The blonde boy said elegantly looking down his nose at his friend. Tidus was in a tight black sweater with khaki pants but still didn't fit in with the crowd owing to the amount of black eyeliner and other make-up he was wearing. _I always liked guys in eyeliner, _Brandon and Jessica both thought at the exact same moment.

"Leave it alone Tidus, what's said is said. You can't take back words, one of the reasons some people shouldn't talk at all." Paine said coldly, her blank eyes gazing over the twins critically.

"We're not cool, so if you want to be cool you might want to leave before everyone sees you talking with us. We'll understand if you do, it happens a lot with the new students we try to befriend." Namine said cutting across the others in a louder voice than Jessica and Brandon would have thought possible of her and her seemingly quiet nature.

"What, you four not cool?" Brandon said sarcastically, putting an arm around Paine and Wakka's shoulders. "I never would have guessed it."

"Do you wanna join our group and be friends then?" Namine asked hopefully.

"Yes, I do think it would be nice to try and be friends." Jessica smiled taking Namine by the hand. Tidus mouth twitched ever so slightly in a smile as she took his hand as well. "So where's the front office? I need to pick up my schedule."

"Oh, I'll take you to the front office if you want." Tidus said quickly and quietly, blushing as he said it. Namine giggled softly and pulled Wakka and the others away when Jessica nodded sheepishly, telling her brother to wait for her to bring back his schedule as well. Gripping her hand a little more firmly Tidus led her down a small side hallway away from the crowds of people. "So Jessica, are you and Brandon-"

"He's my twin brother, not my boyfriend if that's what you're thinking." She said quickly knowing exactly what he was about to ask. Tidus stopped and looked at her, his smiled widening the smallest bit. "It's true, he's my twin brother. No one ever believes it though because we look and act so different. But it's true, Brandon is my twin brother."

"Well that's good thing to know." Tidus said. He stopped her in front of the large wooden door at the very end of the hall. "This is the main office. Do you want me to wait out here for you and take you to your next class after we take your brother his schedule?"

"If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it." Jessica smiled at him before opening the door. It took nearly twenty minutes to fill out all her paper work – and her brother's for he had resolutely stayed behind with Paine and Wakka – and get their schedules. On returning to the hall outside the office however she was greeted with a rather unwanted and unwelcome surprise.

"Stop it; cut it out you nimrods! How childish are you jerks anyways, what did I ever do to you?" Tidus shouted as three taller older looking boys pushed him around between them, his bag lying forgotten in a corner beside the feet of another boy with fly-away ruffled looking blonde hair and sapphire eyes. When Tidus saw her come out of the office he stopped shouting ducking his eyes from hers a moment too late. She had already seen the tears forming there.

"What's going on here?" Jessica asked loudly stepping forward into the center of the group to stand resolutely in front of Tidus where he was cowering slightly. The four boys looked taken about, as though no one had ever come between them and their prey before now. When the group remained silent, Jessica took Tidus sweetly by the elbow and led him away from them and down the hall to where his bag lay beside the feet of the other blonde boy who thankfully had restrained from fighting. The three tormenters rushed off in the same direction, away from Tidus and the girl who had saved him for the time being.

"Hee he, sorry about that Tidus, they were just messing around you know?" The blonde boy smiled weakly, bending down and handing Tidus his stuff. Turning to Jessica instead when Tidus nodded he extended a hand. "Hey, I'm Roxas. You must be new here huh?"

"Yeah, this is my first day here, I'm Jessica." She smiled kindly making Roxas smile back sincerely this time. "Who were those guys anyways? Are they always like that?"

"Oh, that was just a few of my friends from the In-Crowd you know, they own the school and like to make sure that everyone knows it. They aren't always like that though, but to be honest they have a strong hatred for Tidus and his circle because of the Anti-In-Crowd pep rally they held last year." Roxas said in a low voice so that Tidus couldn't hear him. "Listen, if you need someone to show you around or wanna hang with the Inners as we're called just make sure I'm around and I'll hook you up, you seem nice."

"Thanks Roxas, I might have to take you up on that later." She smiled at him making Tidus scowl disapprovingly behind her back.

"ROXIE, where are you!?! We're gonna be late if you don't hurry up!"

"Oh damn I forgot we had plans before first period, I'm coming Axel!" Roxas cursed, practically flying down the hallway in the direction the voice had come from. "Wait for me Axel, wait up damn it! I'm your boyfriend, you better wait for me!

"You didn't have to do that you know." Tidus said gruffly while he leaned against the opposite wall from her looking like an abused puppy. "Even so, thank you for stepping in like that. No one's ever stood up for me before."

"Oh it's nothing, really I didn't mind at all Tidus." Jessica said as she brushed the dirt off his shoulder, a small smile curling her lips. "I'm sure you'd do the same for me since we're friends now you know, that's how friendship goes."

"They – they'll come after you next you know. That's how they do business. You helped me now they'll go after you for interrupting their fun and don't think being friends with Roxas will stop them. By no means is the one in charge in that group." Tidus explained to her as they walked down the now empty hallway. He suddenly grabbed her by the arm and turned her to look into his face and deep into his eyes. "I won't let them hurt you though, not if I can help it, I can promise you that."

"Thank you, Tidus." Jessica smiled. Tidus put an arm around her shoulder as they continued to walk, not speaking until a voice called out to them from the shadows.

"Well don't you look familiar…"

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"So Brandon, is Jessica your-"

"No Paine, Jessica is my twin sister not my girlfriend." Brandon sighed lazily as he leaned against a banister. Never really having friends before Brandon didn't know what to do with them now that he had them. _If this is what it's like to have friends then maybe I don't want any, _Brandon thought sadly, _friends are so boring. _Suddenly a rather familiar spiky haired brunette walked around the corner and waved at him making him feel a completely different feeling from boredom almost instantly. "Hey look over there guys, it's my good buddy Sora. Hey Sora, nice to see you again after that rather strange meeting yesterday, hit anyone else with your car then?"

"Hey Brandon, how are you doing, oh and no I haven't hit anyone with my car thank you very much because Riku refused pointblank to let me drive after that little near-mishap." Sora smiled broadly. He looked around at the three people standing around Brandon sulking from having a happy person so close to them. "Oh, hey there everyone, who are your friends Brandon?"

"Oh um this is Namine, Paine, and Wakka." Brandon said pointing at each on as he said their name. None of them waved or gave any sign of recognition as Sora smiled cheerily at them.

"So did you get your schedule yet then Brandon?" Sora asked, still oblivious to the disapproving and even loathing stares he was getting from the 'unpopular' teenagers around him.

"Not yet, Jess went to get it for me so I could stay and hang with these guys." Brandon smiled at them, winking when they smiled back at him. "Why aren't you hanging out with your other friends?"

"I just - oh shoot you just reminded me! I gotta get to my first period now, its Coffee Monday! Bye then Brandon, kisses!" Sora smiled as he rushed off down the hallways and out of sight.

"What the hell is a Coffee Monday?" Brandon asked the others his head tilted to one side slightly in his part confusion part amusement at the lovely little brunette's antics.

_Is it just me or did he get sexier over night?_ Brandon's final thought before Wakka came up and waved a hand in front of his face to stop him staring off into space. Just then Tidus came walking back with Brandon's schedule in hand – alone.

"What the hell are you doing alone, what happened to my sister?"

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"Well don't you look familiar..." Riku smiled as he walked out from behind the corner he had been lurking in while his friends hassled Tidus and Roxas invited Jessica into their group. "Nice to see you again Jessica, I see you've made yourself a friend already."

"Yeah she has made a friend in me Riku, what of it?" Tidus asked rudely as he flipped Riku off snidely, Jessica taking note of the large amount of distain he used as he said Riku's name. His arm slipped from about Jessica's shoulders as her turned to look her in the eyes. "Jess, I gotta get back to the others if you don't mind. Sorry to rush off without taking you to your first class like I said I would but I can't stay in the present company a moment longer than necessary. You don't mind do you?"

"Oh, um of course not Tidus. Would you take Brandon his schedule for me then since you're going back?" She asked as he turned to go. Tidus turned back to her and took the paper from her hand, his finger's brushing against hers for a mere second before he pulled away and rushed swiftly down the hallway.

"He really does hate me then, I thought Sora was kidding when he told me Tidus had something against me." Riku said dejectedly, running his long thin tapered fingers distractedly through his silvery hair.

"Why does he hate you though?" Jessica asked him tilting her head just enough so that she could look into his eyes as she asked. His aqua green pools stared back at her a moment before answering. "You really should explain yourself Riku, me and my curiosity really need to know. Tidus just doesn't seem like the type who would hate someone for no reason."

"We used to be best friends if you can believe it. That was before I became popular though, and when I became popular I couldn't spend as much time with his as I used to so he started to resent me and my new friends. Then one day I lost track of time and missed his birthday party because I was at a road race subbing in for Leon when he couldn't drive because he broke his leg during a basketball game and couldn't drive. Tidus never spoke to me again, at least not until just now." Riku said nervously shuffling his feet as he stared down at the ground.

"Why didn't you just apologize? I'm 100 sure he would have accepted it if you would have apologized from the heart Riku." Jessica stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

"I did apologize to him the next day when I went to drop off the present I bought him to give him at the party. You wanna know what he did?" Riku asked her sounding angry, but she nodded her head anyways if not somewhat reluctantly. "He threw the present at my head without opening it and told me to go screw myself. Yeah, he really knows how to forgive people for their mistakes Jessica. What do you know anyways, you just met him! You think you know him better than me, is that it then?"

"I didn't know he did that to you Riku, but you still don't have to be so hateful to me when I had nothing to do with it! Why yell at me if it's him your mad at?" She snapped back. Jessica knew he hadn't meant to raise his voice against her and that he had just been upset but she couldn't stop herself snapping at him somehow. "I'm sorry Riku, me snapping back at you isn't the right thing to do. I shouldn't have done it."

"Oh it's alright Jessica, you're completely right, I shouldn't shout at you when I'm mad at Tidus." Riku smiled weakly at her. She smiled back. She didn't know what made her do it, all that she knew was that suddenly she gave up being standoffish and smiled at him, a true smile for the first time since they had first met each other the day before. "Really though, I like it when you snap at me like that Jessica. No one ever snaps at me and people always let me have my way because I'm popular and so God damn drop dead sexy. It's nice to have someone challenge my authority."

"You're really weird you know that Riku?" Jessica giggled as he reached for her schedule that she still held in her hand slightly crumpling it up. "Oh no, you gonna stalk me now then Riku? I swear if I see you pop up in one of my classes that you're not in I'll die of laughter."

"Huh, we have almost all the same classes, imagine that. Just our third and seventh periods are different because you're talking art classes. I could never take art, I don't have a creative bone in my body or so I've been told by every art teacher I've ever had throughout elementary and middle school." He smiled to himself as he handed her schedule back to her. She stared at him for a moment before ducking her eyes and looking around nervously as though she didn't know what to do beside look at her feet. "Well, since Tidus seems to have abandoned you and we have the same first period, would you oh so kindly allow me to escort you to first period?"

"Of course you can Riku, but only if you can find something interesting to talk about this time. No more sports please, my brain couldn't take anymore of that kind of torture." She joked with him as he led her to their first period class which was advanced chemistry in Lab #2.

"I think I can think of a few things to talk about actually." He smiled to himself as he struggled to remember exactly what Brandon had whispered to him the day before when he had dropped the two of them off at their house. "So then Jessica, how do you feel about white roses?"

"Did you say white roses?" Jessica asked sounding shocked, her question laced with a note of intense enjoyment and relief that he had picked a topic she had interest in. When he nodded she smiled broadly. "I adore white roses! They're my favorite flower actually if you want to know. Every year on my birthday Mother would buy me as many white roses as I was years old."

"So this year you'll get how many roses then?" Riku asked her with interest. _Now he's thinking, _Jessica smiled to herself. _He threw a two-sided question at me so her can keep me interested and find out how old I am at the same time. He's learning how to deal with me and my thought process, good for him. Maybe now he won't be so boring to talk with – thank goodness for that!_

"I would be expecting sixteen this year on my birthday but I won't be getting any roses at all this year no matter what number or color." She said sadly, her voice filled with emotion as she confessed it to him. "My Mother sort of isn't around anymore. She can't come back either if you catch my drift."

"I'm so sorry Jessica I had no idea about your Mother." Riku said biting his lower lip. She gave him a slightly sideways look, slightly surprised that his apology sounded so genuine .

"Of course you didn't know silly goose, I didn't tell you she was dead until just now. It doesn't matter though so don't be worried I'm angry with you or anything." She added when he still looked nervous. "Are we almost to first period, it sure is taking a long time to get there Riku."

"That's because I'm not taking you to first period." Riku smiled at her broadly before grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her through a door on his left. "I wanted to show you this first."

"Holy-" Jessica's voice trailed off as she stared open mouthed at what was before her.

* * *

Oh my, what could it be that is Riku showing to her to make her act like such a ninny? (**Jessica: Ha, I love the word ninny! Don't ask why though, I just think its fun to say!)** What will Brandon say about the Tidus-leaving-his-sister-alone-with-Riku thing? Who were the boys that harassed Tidus and what is Coffee Monday!?! (**Jessica: Hee he, my friends and I have Chocolate Tuesdays at my high school, don't we Brandon? Brandon: That we do, and don't we love the chocolate! Caffeine is like the white-people version of crack!!!**

So anyways, please leave a review and tell US what you though of the second chapter, a cookie for anyone who reviews this chapter!!!


	3. Chapter 3: Getting Her Attention

After this chapter, this story will no longer be a collaborative effort between me and the other writer seeming as he and I are no longer friends as of yesterday when he told me to 'stay the fuck away from him'. And what's worst is I can only blame myself because I know it was my all my fault. Me, being the stupid insensitive temperamental person I am, screwed everything up. I fucked up a friendship I've had since third grade because of the jealous heinous bitch I am inside. Obviously, you probably don't want to here about this. Not that it matters… but I'm going to miss him.

This story may be taken off the sight all together, ended here, or something completely different. I haven't decided yet. If you as the readers have an opinion please tell me.

Chapter 3: Getting Her Attention

"Holy..." Jessica's voice died out slowly, her eyes wide as she stared around her at the place Riku had tricked her into coming to with him. Riku chuckled softly, watching her looking around.

"Well?" Riku asked her, a little concerned as to why she hadn't said anything yet. After all, her brother had said she would like it... Unless Brandon lied to make her hate him more, and if it turned out that was the case Riku would just have to get the guys together and go teach him a lesson he wouldn't soon forget. No body made Riku look like an idiot – especially in front of a girl. Even if in Jessica's opinion from the previous day he was more than capable of making a fool of himself without anyone's help.

"It's just so- I can't believe- how did you-" She spun around quickly to look at him, almost running into him as close as they were. Riku gulped, momentarily afraid that she was going to hit him. Jessica stared up into his eyes for some time, a small genuine smile creeping on her face. "How, Riku?"

"What do you mean how?" Riku said slowly, his nervous confusion making her role her eyes at him in an amused sort of way. Nevertheless, he expected a standoffish response as always.

"How did you know?" Jessica elaborated, making it seem to Riku as though she thought anyone would have picked up on what she meant without having to be told. "How did you know I would love this? How did you know to bring me here?"

"That's for me to know and you to never find out if you catch my drift." Riku said with a small smile, taking her by the shoulders and turning her around. He could swear as he did so he heard her mutter 'Brandon' under her breath as he did so but put that thought quickly aside. "Would you like me to show you around?"

"Normally I would but... do you really think that's such a good idea? I mean really Riku, think about it. What about first period, will we be late if you show me around this place?" Jessica asked, not wanting to be late on her first day of school.

"We still have fifteen minutes before the bell even rings, and five minutes after that before the tardy bell goes off so we have plenty of time. And besides, you're new so you're off the hook for two weeks as far as showing up late if you say you got lost, and I can say I was showing you around since that's technically true." Riku explained, the whole time edging his hand closer and closer to hers until their fingers barely touched. To his dismay she pulled her hand away and took a step back, blushing. He cleared his throat as though trying to give himself time to think after her shooting down his plan of holding her hand. "So, do you want a private tour?"

"Yes, please! That would be awesome. This place is like a dream come true!" Jessica smiled brightly, following Riku. A few steps later, she stopped. "How come there's nobody else in here? Riku, are we allowed to be in here?"

"Well, not per say but-"

"Hey, who are you two and what are you doing in here? You know the rules, students aren't allowed in here until classes!" A tall looming figure came suddenly out from behind a large easel, a paintbrush in hand. The man walked over to them and stopped in from of Riku, smiling. "Riku, you made me go into teacher-mode on you. Next time, tell me it's you, it'll save a lot of trouble."

"Sorry Sephiroth, I forgot." Riku smiled sheepishly as 'Sephiroth' ruffled his hair with the hand not holding his paint-filled brush.

"Hey Riku, it's kinda rude to leave your friend standing there without introducing us." Sephiroth whispered to Riku, but not softly enough so that Jessica couldn't hear.

"Oh, sorry Sephiroth, this is my new friend Jessica, she just moved here." Riku said quickly. "Jessica, this is my uncle Sephiroth, he runs the music and art department here."

"Hello, nice to meet you." Jessica said softly smiling when Sephiroth winked at her. _Did Riku really just call me his friend? Did he really mean it? I have a friend... that sounds so weird to me._

"Now that the introductions are out of the way, why don't the two of you explain what you two are doing here before school like this in the Art & Music Department Wing when one of you knows it's not allowed? Riku, you really should be setting an example for your new friend you know, seeing as she's new and doesn't now the rules." Sephiroth said as he turned back to his easel, Jessica stifling a cough.

"I wanted to show Jessica some of the student art that's being exhibited right now." Riku said. Leaning in close to his rather unconventional uncle's ear, Riku whispered so quietly that Jessica couldn't hear him. "She really loves all things that relate to art and music Uncle Seph... and she's gonna be in your art and music classes."

"Well, I am stressed for new art and music students. And if she has any talent funds are sure to increase..." Sephiroth looked up excited thinking through all the possibilities. "In that case, Jessica, come by anytime you want to look around or just hang out here and create something."

"Really, I can? Thank you so much!" Jessica smiled sweetly, forgetting her usually calm demeanor for a moment and allowing herself enough girlishness to hop up and down on the spot a few times clapping and giggling. Riku walked over to her and took her hand, and this time she didn't pull away, Sephiroth's face disappearing immediately back behind the easel with a small laugh at the pleading look Riku sent him clearly asking him to stay out of his way while he was with Jessica. She pretended not to notice.

"Shall we then Jessica?" Riku asked her, and she nodded gleefully. And thus Jessica's day began.

A musical dinging was heard throughout the school halls and classrooms.

"First bell gotta run! I'm meeting Rikku and Yuna to exchange ideas for our next pottery project! See you all later!" Namine squeaked as she jumped down off the short barrier wall in the abandoned hall where she and the other had been hanging out talking.

"Does she always do that?" Brandon asked in his delight at the hilarity of watching her scamper off.

"Pretty much, almost everyday anyways ya know?" Wakka chuckled. "It's her spastic self takin' over."

"Namine has to be in her classroom as soon after the bell as possible because she has the Obsessive Compulsive Disorder thing. She's not spastic, she just can't help it." Tidus explained, whacking Wakka unkindly on the back of the head in a scolding manner. "She doesn't like us talking about her disorder though because she knows how Wakka thinks of her and her disorder, which is exactly why she tries to come up with a different excuse everyday so that she can leave us as soon as the bell rings."

"We better get to class too I guess." Paine sighed, slipping down off the wall with more grace than Namine had. Turning to Brandon, she frowned. "That's right; we need to get you to class. What do you have first period anyways?"

"Um..." Brandon frowned, pulling his folded up schedule out of his pocket. "I haven't even looked at it yet. Let me check my schedule. Oh, I have Intermediate English."

"I have that!" Wakka smiled, jumping off the wall. "I can take ya there!"

"Alright, let's go then. Bye Tidus, Paine!" Brandon said with a small wave as he proceeded to follow Wakka down the hallway toward his first class.

"I think I better warn ya now. A lot o' the prep squad's in dis class so watch ya back." Wakka warned him as they walked through the classroom door. Brandon walked over to the teacher's desk when-

"Hey Brandon, look behind you!"

Brandon turned around and came face to face with a very pleased looking Sora holding a Starbucks coffee in one hand and very large chocolate chip cookie in the other. Brandon took a set back, smiling. "Hello again Sora, I didn't expect to see you again so soon."

"Are you gonna be in this period?" Sora asked, smiling when Brandon nodded. "Wow, I didn't think you'd be in this class! You look way smarter than me, so I figured you'd be in the smart classes like Riku is."

"Nah, I'm just a regular idiot, my sister's the smart one in the family. She gets the grades and the advanced placement classes, not me." Brandon shrugged.

"Oh come on, you aren't an idiot! Intermediate doesn't mean you're stupid, it means you're in the middle, like average. Average is good, it's the Pre-classes mean you're stupid. I should know I take Pre-Algebra after all." Sora said in a rush, blushing in embarrassment afterwards at how much information he had just unintentionally divulged. "Whoops, just made myself look bad. Apparently I have a little idiot-ness in me today anyways wanting to get out. Sorry Brandon."

"Its fine Sora, a little idiot never hurt anyone. And besides, it's those smart ones you have to keep an eye on." Brandon smiled as he nudged Sora in the side with his shoulder making Sora laugh. "I should know, I live with one. Jessica can be very wild and crazy at times, the conniving little sneak."

"Jessica, a wild and crazy conniving little sneak? Come on, don't lie." Sora poked Brandon in the chest with his index finger. "She doesn't look capable of being mean."

"Oh believe me on this Sora, she can be. You never had to live with her, let alone be her twin for fifteen years." Brandon frowned, shaking his head solemnly. "She is the best when it comes to embarrassing pranks, and Truth or Dare questions are her specialty. If you're ever at a party with her and someone decides you should all play truth or dare, don't pick dare."

"Huh, I guess I'll keep that in mind or future reference." Sora smiled, glancing back at where the people he had been talking to before Brandon had come into the room were sitting. They were whispering, throwing glances in his direction, giving Brandon dirty looks behind his back. Brandon didn't notice Sora's frown or the pleading look he sent his friends before turning back around just as Brandon finished collecting his text book from the teacher. "Come on Brandon, you can sit with me. There's an empty desk beside me you can take."

"Alright Sora, thanks." Brandon said, nervously aware of the disapproving stares coming from Sora's other friends as he took his seat. _Oh great, another school where everyone hates me before getting to know me. Something's never change I guess. Stupid fucking humanity..._

"Riku, can I ask you something real quick?" Jessica asked, not looking up from the painting she was looking at. _I have to act as though I don't really care that much... but the truth is it means a lot to me to know the truth. I just hope he doesn't notice how much his answer means to me... _She coughed again, this time not catching herself in time

"Go ahead, ask me anything Jessica. Fire away." Riku said, leaning against the wall next to her as she examined the art around her. She looked up at him suddenly, her eyes latching onto his.

"Did you mean it back there when you told your uncle we were friends?" Jessica asked softly. Riku's eyebrow popped up and Jessica looked away. _I knew it, he was just saying that. He doesn't really think of me as a friend at all..._

"Of course I did, we are friends aren't we?" Riku asked, his voice showing her his confusion at her question. "You... you do what to be my friend don't you?"

"Yeah, I do. I didn't mean I didn't want to be your friend or anything like that." Jessica looked back down at the painting behind the glass, smiling. "I was just checking."

"Can I ask why you needed to check?" Riku asked, curious as always as to how this strange girl's mind worked.

"It's just how I do things I guess. After everything that's happened... never mind." Jessica cut off suddenly, leaving her statement hanging in the air between them like some unexploded bomb. He hadn't failed to notice that as she cut off her eyes seemed to tear up a little, signaling that whatever she was thinking about was a sensitive subject. Riku let it go, looking away from her to give her a moment to pull herself together.

"Damn it!" Riku swore loudly as the bell went off just as he turned around to say something comforting, instead grabbing Jessica by the wrist and pulling her away from the painting she had been examining, her face so close to the display case her breath left a slight fog over the surface. She gasped softly as Riku jerked her arm, running along with her behind him, trying to keep up without understanding what was going on.

"Riku, what's the rush? You said we were right by our first period." Jessica asked as they ran. He cursed loudly again and she frowned, knowing immediately that he hadn't been completely truthful with her early. "Wait, we were nowhere near first period were we?"

"No, we weren't. Chemistry is kinda a floor above and down the opposite wing as the music and art department." Riku confessed, dragging her along.

"So you lied to me?" Jessica asked a hurt note in her voice. Her voice lowered leaving her voice almost inaudible, but Riku heard her nonetheless. "I thought you said we were friends Riku."

Riku stopped running suddenly. So suddenly in fact that Jessica went spinning into him, his grip on her wrist loosened so that she landed sprawled out on the ground at his feet, coughing wildly even though the wind had been knocked out of her. She looked up into his face, her eyes meeting the hurt look her was wearing.

"We are friends Jessica, you said so yourself back in the Music and Art Department Wing. We're friends, aren't we?" Riku asked as Jessica fixed her skirt so that she didn't have to look at him just yet, pulling herself onto her knees.

"I don't know anymore Riku, I mean I thought we were but..." Jessica said slowly, her indecisive side taking over. She coughed again.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Riku dropped down to his knees before her, his face close to hers.

"Friends don't lie to each other Riku, that's how it goes, everyone knows that. You lied to me, which is sad because I just met you and you're already lying to me. What does that say about the future?" Jessica sighed dejectedly, pulling back from him.

"Jessica, I'm sorry okay? I just wanted to show you something you would like to get you to like me after how stupid I know I sounded to you yesterday when I drove you and Brandon home." Riku sighed standing up and running a hand through his hair distractedly. He offered her a hand to help her up. "Just take my hand, I promise you I'll never lie to you again if you'll still be my friend."

Riku waited, his hand still outstretched in invitation. Both of them knew that if Jessica didn't take his hand, it meant she would be rejecting his friendship as well. After a moment's hesitation –

Jessica took his hand.

"So how was your first day Brandon?"

"Fine I guess." Brandon sighed as he, Namine, Paine, and Tidus walked away from their lockers towards the exit. "Hey, what happened to Wakka?"

"Oh, Wakka has a Speech-Improvement class after school on Mondays up in the Library." Namine smiled.

"Oh, okay. Now to find Jessica so we can leave this hell-hole. Has anyone seen my sister?" Brandon asked, looking around through the crowds without finding anything but snobby preps.

"I saw her in my 3rd period Art class and my 4th period French class." Namine said with a shrug. "Boy, if you could have seen the look on Professor Sephiroth's face when she walked into Art all by herself after everyone else was seated! I thought he was gonna pass out for a second. He loves getting new students, especially ones like your sister who actually listen and are that enthusiastic about Art."

"Not to say that that news isn't fascinating or anything Namine, but has anyone else seen my sister?" Brandon asked, slightly annoyed with his new blonde friend.

"She was in my fourth period. Lunch A and Band in place of Lunch B." Tidus said thoughtfully. "Does she seriously play the piano?"

"Yeah, she does Tidus." Brandon sighed.

"Then why was she playing the xylophone thing?" Tidus asked.

"Because they're the same thing, except you push keys on a piano and hit the keys on a xylophone with a mallet." Brandon said sounding uninterested. "Did you see her anywhere else today Tidus?"

"She was in my 8th period World History class." Tidus said, blushing at the harsh note in Brandon's voice. "That's all though, I only have two classes with her."

"Paine, do you have any classes with her?" Namine asked as Brandon scanned the crowd again.

"I have 2nd period Algebra II with her, but that's it." Paine said with a shrug of her gothic shoulders.

"How the hell am I supposed to find her?" Brandon asked no one in particular.

"If you really want to find her, I'd ask Riku if he knows where she is." Paine said suddenly in her monotone voice. The three others shot her a confused looks and she continued. "She was talking to him when she came into Algebra II, he pulled an unused desk right up beside him for her, and then they left the class together. I think they might be friends or something entirely twisted like that."

"Now that you mention it that does make some sense I suppose." Namine said softly, looking at the floor as she spoke deep in thought. "He waved at her when we walked into French and she waved back. I didn't think anything of it then though."

"Tidus?" Brandon asked, looking to where the blonde was standing – or had been standing to be correct. Tidus was walking off, muttering darkly to himself as he went. "What's that all about?"

"Tidus hates Riku with a fiery passion sprung from Hell's fires themselves. Tidus even refers to Riku as the 'enemy' at times. They had a serious falling out a few years back. Don't worry too much Brandon, just know that talking about Riku in front of Tidus makes him upset." Namine explained softly as Riku rounded the corner.

"Hey Riku, you got a minute?" Brandon asked sharply grabbing Riku by the elbow as he made to walk past them on his way to the parking lot.

"Oh hey, sure I guess I can talk for a minute, my ride will wait for me. Normally I'd drive myself but my car is at the mechanic's getting a paintjob." Riku said coolly, sticking his hands into his pockets as he shook his hair out of his face so he could see. _Shit he's so hot,_ Brandon thought as Riku smiled at him. _I gotta back off, he likes my sister. He likes my sister, he likes my sister – just repeat it over and over again he likes my sister! But does she like him? The one time I can't figure out how she feels is the one time I actually want to know really bad. I have to find out, because if she doesn't like him... I wonder if I can have Riku AND Sora..._

"Have you seen my sister around, I can't find her. I don't know her locker number or last period class is or I'd go find her." Brandon said looking over Riku's shoulder as Sora walked past the small group.

"Oh, she has Music Appreciation last period the same as me." Riku said casually. "And her locker is up on the third floor by the music and art department wing by mine and Sora's. I think she has locker number 1150 but there's no point going to look for her there, she's not there. She said she had to get home and if I saw you to tell you she already left. Listen, I kinda have to leave now if you don't mind."

"Oh, go on ahead Riku. And thanks for the help." Brandon said stepping out of his way. "Well I'm gonna leave then guys, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Brandon!" The three misfits called after their new friend as he shouldered his back and walked out of the front doors.

_She is in so much trouble when I get home! She left without me!?! What's that about?_ Brandon, so deep in his thoughts, never noticed the two cars driving along beside him. At least, he didn't notice them until one of them pulled in front of him and stopped.

"What the hell?" Brandon asked, stopping dead in his tracks. The occupants of the silver convertible in from of him laughed at his surprise. "I'm walking here, what's the big deal!"

"Oh come on, we just wanted to meet the new kid, is that such a bad thing?" The redheaded teenager from the backseat of the car asked sarcastically, the small blonde boy sitting next to him smiling at the comment. "What's you're name?"

"Who wants to know?" Brandon shot back defiantly, glaring at the teen.

"Oh, I don't think he likes you very much Axel!" Another blonde with spiky hair sitting in the front seat laughed. "What did you do to the kid?"

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Brandon shouted back, his hands balling into fists.

"Pipe down pipsqueak or I'll have you screaming for you're Mommy." The driver, a brunette with a long scar across his face said sternly. At the word 'Mommy' Brandon blanched, a strange urge to punch someone bubbling in his stomach. "No body talks to Spiky like that."

"Hey, my name isn't Spiky, its Cloud." The blonde said, pouting slightly. The driver turned back to him with a smirk firmly in place just for him. "Quit making cracks about my hair – Squall."

"I think I know your name by now Cloud." The driver gave him a rare smile making Cloud smiled softly back. "And the name's Leon, don't call me Squall."

"I don't care who the hell you all are, just get out of my way and leave me alone!" Brandon shouted, walking behind the car trying to continue on the way. With a screeching of tires the other car, this time a hot pink convertible, blocked his path. "You've got to be kidding me! Damn it!"

"Um no, I don't think we are." The driver of the pink car, a pretty brunette girl smiled at him.

"Don't you know it's rude to cuss in front of a lady?" Another brunette girl with hair that flipped at the ends said wagging a finger in Brandon's direction disapprovingly.

"Bite me! Do I look like I care?" Brandon sneered back, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh he's so mean!" The dark haired girl in the passenger seat complained. "What did we ever do to him to deserve such treatment?"

"He obviously doesn't know he's dealing with The Great Ninja Yuffie!" A girl with short black hair said from the back seat, her fists thrust up in the air as she said it.

"Should that worry me?" Brandon asked, faking nervousness. Yuffie gasped and made to jump on him but the brunettes held her back.

"Let me go you three! Tifa, Selphie, Rinoa let me go this instant or I'll explode! I swear I' gonna kill him for that comment! Everyone should know about The Great Ninja Yuffie!" Yuffie struggled with the three girls as Brandon attempted once again to get past the two cars.

"Hey, is that the new girl Sora and Riku were telling me about?" Leon asked the others. Brandon turned around looking where Leon was pointing. Sure enough, there was his sister caring a large brown grocery bag under one arm, her messenger bag slug over her shoulder as always. She stopped short, looking at the two cars, her twin brother standing between them looking angry.

"What's going on?" Jessica asked, confused and a bit nervous.

"Oh we're the welcoming committee of course! We saw that one leaving and followed him to welcome him to our school." Selphie smiled waving at Jessica cheerily, Jessica waving back unenthusiastically. "What's your name then?"

"Wait a minute – Jessica?" Roxas asked from beside Axel, scrambling to the side of the car. Jessica smiled and nodded. "How are you? Did you have a good first day then?"

"Hello again Roxas, and yes, I had a good first day." Jessica said, readjusting her bag so that she didn't drop it.

"Wait a second, you know her?" Leon asked looking perplexed.

"Yeah, I met her earlier." Roxas said offhandedly. "And yeah, before you ask she's the person I ditched Pizza Hut at lunch for. She's new and seemed really nice so I asked if she wanted to hang out sometime and since she didn't know what to do for lunch I took her down to the cafe with me and stayed with her. She's actually really cool guys."

"Hold the phone, she looks familiar." Cloud said softly, staring at Jessica's clothes as though he hadn't been listening to Roxas at all. "I know her too! She's that girl who stood up for the dweeb Tidus this morning! Now I know why she looks familiar!"

"THAT'S the girl that came to Tidus' rescue?" Axel asked looking shocked. Roxas nodded slowly not looking at anyone. "And you actually talked to her after she ruined out fun Roxas?"

"Did you ever think about how that made Tidus feel?" Jessica snapped back as her brother walked over to stand next to her. "Well, did any of you? Did you know how miserable it made him? And you call that fun? What kind of people are you?"

"The cool kind, that's what!" Leon smirked back gaining appreciative laughs from the others in both vehicles. "Look girly, this is how it goes: Tidus is a loser, therefore we as the cool cats that we are, have the right to make his life a living hell after all the Anti-In-Crowd pep rallies he held."

"Let's go home Jess, don't fight with them. We can't win, they have us outnumbered." Brandon whispered to her as she opened her mouth to reply contemptuously.

"You're right, let's go home." Jessica smiled back at him as they turned to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going? We're not done talking yet." Rinoa called to them as they made to leave. Just then another car joined the crowd.

"What's going on here?"

"Nothing," was murmured from the collective group as Riku, Sora, a redheaded girl, a teen with indigo hair falling in his face, and a brunette boy with a strange type of Mohawk pulled up alongside the other two cars in a black Ferrari.

"It sure doesn't look like nothing to me." Riku said sourly, looking between everyone, his eyes finally falling on where Brandon and Jessica stood together. "You guys weren't bugging the new kids were you?"

"No, we were just talking." Jessica piped up suddenly, the people crammed into the convertibles shooting her curious looks as she covered for them. "Actually, my brother and I were just on our way home when they pulled over for a little chat. We really need to get home now though."

"As long as nothing's going on, who wants to come to my house for pizza?" The redheaded girl asked. Everyone in the In-Crowd smiled and agreed that would be cool.

"That would be great Kairi!" Sora smiled at the girl. "Hey Brandon, do you wanna come?"

"No thanks Sora, I have things to do tonight." Brandon called back, his sister knowing by the way he spoke that he really wanted to but didn't dare go with Sora if the other Inners were going to be there.

"Bye then everyone, we better get going." Jessica said as Brandon turned to leave. Riku stuck his head out of the window and waved at her. Smiling, she waved back before turning and following her brother down the road.

"That sure was an interesting day." Jessica smiled at her brother as they entered their dingy bedroom, setting the bag of groceries on her bed.

"Yeah it was... um, interesting. Though I'm not sure that's the right word." Brandon said gruffly, climbing up the side of the bed and collapsing on his mattress. "What all classes do you have?"

"Um, Advanced Chemistry, Algebra II, Art, French, Lunch A and Band, Advanced Literature, Craft-Pottery-Sculpture, World History, and Music Appreciation." Jessica said, ticking them off on her fingers as she said them aloud.

Brandon was silent for a moment, a disgruntled look painting his face. "So we don't have any classes together at all. What a bummer."

"Yeah I know." Jessica sighed, reaching into the bag and grabbing a bag of chips which she threw up to Brandon who whooped appreciatively before ripping the bag open the bag and cramming his mouth full. "But I made some friends."

"Really, you have friends already?" Brandon asked, looking hurt at the very idea.

"Yeah, I do. Namine, Wakka, Tidus, and Paine are my friends and your friends so don't look so upset, you have some too now. And then there's a quiet girl names Yuna I met in 6th period Advanced Literature class, and energetic Rikku from my 7th period Craft-Pottery-Sculpture class. And Roxas I suppose." Jessica said with a smiled as she pulled an apple out of the bag before shoving the rest of the contents under her bed. "And then we have Sora and Riku."

"I'm friends with Sora, you can't have him! Stay away from my Sora! I'm not willing to share him with anybody, even you!" Brandon called suddenly very protective sounding. There was a very pregnant pause. "Um, I mean, um... what I meant to say was uh... I just meant... shit." _She knows exactly what I'm thinking I bet! She always does – the little mind-reading witch that she is! DAMN IT!_

"You like Sora… don't you?" Jessica asked softly.

"Yeah, I guess I kinda do." Brandon replied from the top of the bed where his sister knew he must be blushing furiously. "Damn, it only took me two days of knowing him and now I've gone and fallen for him. What am I gonna do now?"

"I wouldn't do anything just yet; you just met him after all. Wait a bit and if you still like him after you've had a longer time getting to know him then you can decide what to do but two days is not an option." Jessica said wisely as she looked out the window. Watching her from where he lay, Brandon noticed the unnatural pale tint to his sister's face as she coughed yet again. "I think I want to go for a walk – alone."

"Alright, I'll cover for you. Dad will never know you were gone." Brandon smiled down at her, frowning when upon reaching the door she collapsed against it in a coughing fit that wracked her whole body. "Are you okay Sis? Do you have a cold or… Jess, did you take your medicine this morning?"

"I don't remember to tell the truth whether I did or not." Jessica said sheepishly making her brother scoff at her. "I feel fine though so no worries there."

"Do you really think you should go alone, especially if you're feeling sick?" Brandon asked, worried for this sister's health.

"Goodbye Brandon, see you later!" Jessica hurried out quickly, not bothering to reply to her Brandon's question.

Her brother looked at the ceiling, thinking. _Yeah, she feels fine. That's what Mom said the day before she died..._

Please review.


	4. Ch4: TakeOut Dinners and Hospital Visits

What-up my homies, how's it hangin'? Just talking like one of my best friends for a sentence. Lol

So here's chapter 4!!! At one point someone says 'oober cool' which isn't a real word – it's just a thing I say just so you know it's not a typo and it's said the same way it's spelled. Flashbacks are in bold, and the bold italics in this chapter are the words of the person on the other end of phone conversations.

I decided I'm not getting rid of this story after all. I'll just write it out on my own… to tell the truth I pretty much did anyways even when there were two of us... Brandon is so not gonna appreciate me saying that. Hey, B if you're reading this!

So then… on with the show!!! Valentine's Heart Cookies for anyone who reviews!

Chapter 4: Take-Out Dinners and Hospital Visits

"**Do you really think you should go alone, especially if you're feeling sick?"**

Jessica scoffed at the mere thought of her brother's slightly thoughtless comment. Sticking her hands deep into the pockets of the hoodie she had grabbed on her way out of the house while kicking a pebble lying in her path, choosing to overlook the fact that deep down she knew that her brother only asked because he was worried about her, instead ranting inside about how he always treated her like a child. _I mean come on, I ALWAYS feel sick because I'm ALWAYS sick! You get used to it after a while. Brandon needs to get with the program! I mean really, we found out six months ago for God's sake, why can't he just let it go? It's not like I'm gonna suddenly fall over dead… but then that's what the said about Mother too..._

"There I go again, always acting like the childish little girl I am when no one's around. Why do I always have to go and cry?" Jessica asked herself with a small sob, a few tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes that were brushed away quickly so that her mascara wouldn't run as she continued up the street with no destination in mind. Not that she knew enough about the town to have anywhere she wanted to go or even to know where there was to go. All she had known for sure was that the constricted suffocated feeling creeping through her body needed to be appeased and that getting away from everyone for a while was the only way to make it go away. Walking down the middle of the completely unfamiliar road seemed to be helping slightly with the tight feeling in her chest, and seeing as Jessica had no intention of spending any extra time in her father or stepmother's presence…

"Jessica?"

Snapped out of her reverie at once by the sound of the voice, she looked up at the increasingly familiar person standing just behind a white picket fence smiling at her broadly as though seeing her standing there made his day worthwhile. She waved at him vibrantly, rushing down off the road and into the soft grass to look up over the top of the fence into his face.

"Hey there Riku, nice to see you again so soon. I didn't think I'd see you until tomorrow in first period, whatcha doing?" Jessica asked with a laugh when he continued to flash her his brilliant smile he seemed to wear just for her. Looking at the house behind him she gasped. "Is this where you live? It's a truly beautiful house."

"Yeah I live here, and I guess it is kinda nice from a certain point of view. I was just painting the fence for my parents – you know how it is with chores and all that unnecessary junk they always want their kids to slave away at. But to be fair and completely honest I must say, as long as I end up with my allowance at the end of every week I don't complain… too much anyways." Riku shrugged heavily, the shaking the paintbrush in his hand so the pain went flying everywhere. Jessica ducked, covering her head as she shrieked. "Sorry, there I go being clumsy again. I didn't get paint on your shirt did I?"

"No, you didn't get anything on me that time. No harm, no foul, no paint on my shirt, we're good." Jessica smiled up at him. Running out of things to say to him already and secretly afraid she might start to ramble like an idiot, Jessica looked for a way out of the conversation. "It looks like you're kinda busy right now painting your fence and whatnot. I can leave if you are…"

"I'm not really as busy as I look, you can stay and talk to me, I-I want you to stay for a while – if you want t-to I mean. You don't have to if you don't want to, I don't want to make you do anything you don't wanna do because I'm not like that." Riku ran over her talking fast and seeming a little confused as to what he himself was saying and why he was stuttering. "We can keep talking Jessica, it's no problem. I can paint the fence and talk to you at the same time. You wanna come over to this side of the fence? You can sit down over on the porch swing and we can talk while I work."

"I guess that could be fun. I can stay a while." She giggled as he opened the fence gate for her so she could step inside. It wasn't until he shut the gate behind her that she got a clear view of him – and immediately wished she was back on the other side of the fence where it was 'safe'.

"What's wrong Jessica?" Riku asked a slightly mocking note in his voice as he smirked down at the surprised look on her face. She blinked rapidly a few times, staring up at him resolutely through her long eyelashes as though indifferent, while really trying collecting herself before she spoke.

"Nothing's wrong, why do you ask?" Her voice sounded funny to both of them, as though she'd sucked the air out a helium balloon, but neither of them commented on the matter mainly for her sake. Riku touched her arm and she jumped, causing him to laugh silently to himself as he led her over to the swing. She took a seat straightening her skirt and he walked back over to the fence leaving her to her thoughts.

_Oh God, I wasn't expecting this to happen, of all things that could happen it had to be this didn't it? Not that I'm complaining about it or anything, but – I so wasn't ready for that one! How was I supposed to know he was SHIRTLESS!?! Or that he looked so ungodly hot without his shirt on, even though I probably could have guessed that fact now that I think about it... I mean really, I couldn't tell he was shirtless from the other side of the fence, this is so unfair! I was totally unprepared for that, but at least it's over with now… And at least he can't see me staring at him like this while he's painting – he definitely noticed me looking when I first came through the gate though. Oh damn, he's gonna be so flipping smug now…_

"So how was your first day?" Riku asked as he worked, seemingly not conscious to his companion's inner turmoil over his impressive physique.

"Um, it was okay I guess, not that bad anyways." Jessica mumbled, not really paying attention to what she said. Will all fairness, she had good reason. Her brain had temporarily shut down, completely self-destructed on her when she needed it most.

_How am I supposed to concentrate on anything let alone a conversation with him when I can see the top of his boxers sticking out of his pants practically DEMANDING all of my attention? Not to mention his amazing muscles that aren't even over the top and all that wonderful pale flesh. And God, did you see his abs? Don't even get me started…_

"Make any new friends then?" Riku asked, looking over his shoulder when she didn't answer right away. He noted the uncomfortable, if not perplexed, look on her face and how she didn't seem to notice that he'd turned around just yet. A second later she did, her eyes trailing up his body until she met his eyes before looking away quickly as though embarrassed. "Jessica, is something wrong? You aren't talking to me, and in my experience so far it's hard to get you to stop long enough to breathe let alone get you completely silent."

"I'm fine, really." Jessica said quickly, a little too quickly for Riku.

"Am I making you uncomfortable or something?" Riku asked her, watching her eyes. The flicker of light that danced through them answered for her before she'd even opened her lips to speak. "I get it, don't worry. If you want I can put a shirt on-"

"You don't need to do that, really you don't!" Jessica cut him off, blushing once she registered what she'd just said and taken in the slightly shocked if not altogether pleased look on Riku's face. "I mean, it's hot out and you'll burn up. Really, I don't mind. I do have a brother after all, who happens to be a slob and run around topless all the time simply because he's too lazy to do his own damn laundry so that he has a shirt to wear… and I'm rambling aren't I?"

"Yeah, just a little bit." Riku smiled at her. She looked embarrassed again, her cheeks bright pink as she studied her shoes for lack of anything better to do. "It's okay though, I like it. When you ramble I mean. You're more comfortable with yourself and what you're saying when you ramble. Ramble all you want."

Jessica looked up at him, meeting his eyes without embarrassment this time. He smiled once more before returning to painting the last few feet of the fence, chatting with a much more comfortable Jessica – who of course was staring shamelessly at his half naked body from where she sat wishing she'd thought to bring her camera with her so that she could remember what he looked like without his shirt on for the rest of her life. When he was finished Riku went and collected his shirt from where it hung over the edge of the banister-like railing of the porch and slipped it over his head before sitting down beside Jessica on the swing draping an arm around her shoulders pulling her closer to him, Jessica only panicking in hesitation for a moment before leaning against him. Riku smiled down at her, realizing as she twiddled her thumbs as they talked of music that she was finally opening up to him and beginning to feel comfortable around him. They talked until it started to grow dark and the wind began to blow cold.

"It's getting dark out, I better start walking home for dinner if I want to get there before night really hits. I guess this is goodbye for now then Riku." Jessica said reluctantly pulling herself out of Riku's grasp and standing up. As she made to leave she felt a hand grasp her wrist staying her. Turning she watched Riku stand up towering over her.

"Jessica, do you want to stay? To, like, have some dinner or something… with me?" Riku asked her as he put his arm back around her should as she shivered in the cold. "Come on, you know you want to. It'll be fun, I promise."

"I don't know Riku. For one I've never met your paraents before. Would they mind if I say for dinner and they haven't previously met me?" She asked to buy herself more time to think. _If I don't get home soon, my Father and step mother might flip out on me and do something drastic. I don't know how long Brandon would be able to cover for me… _

"The thing is it's like this – my parents kinda aren't here right now. They're out of town for a business trip. Mum's a lawyer and got sent out of state for a big case she's helping out with and Pop's is a sales representative for one of the local companies that does business out of town." Riku said quickly, tying to persuade her to stay with him for a while longer. "But Sephiroth's here so there's parental advisory or whatever, and my older brother Zexion and his um… Zexion and 'his' Demyx are upstairs."

"Riku I…" Jessica started, fully ready to turn his offer down but the look on his face stopped her. The hopeful glint in his eyes made her change her mind at the last second. "I'd love to have dinner with you."

"Alright then, let's get you inside the house before you freeze to death on my front doorstep." Riku smiled to himself as he ushered Jessica towards his front door, thrusting his fists up into the air behind her as she walked inside the house.

"Oh my, this is your house?" Jessica asked her eyes huge and staring around. Riku nodded, cocking his head to one side in a perplexed sort of way at her reaction. "It's such an amazing house, what are you guys, rich or something?"

"Something kinda like that I guess, yeah." Riku laughed at the way her mouth was hanging open, taking her by the hand leading her down the hallway into a grand gold furnished dinning room. "Just sit down wherever you feel like it. If you wait here I'll go get the others so we can order dinner."

"Order, order what?" Jessica asked, momentarily confused.

"Why order Chinese food of course, what else?" Riku asked her looking scandalized. "You do like Chinese food, don't you?"

"I love Chinese food, not like. There's a very fine line between the two thank you very much Riku." Jessica smiled pulling out a chair and sitting down as Riku ran out in search of the other house occupants. A few moments later Sephiroth and Riku walked into the dinning room followed by two people that Jessica could only assume were Zexion and Demyx.

"Hey Riku, who's the adorable little brunette girl at the table I don't know, is she you're new friend you told me oh so much about in the car earlier?" The cheery boy with dirty blonde hair asked ecstatically, pulling out the chair next to Jessica and sitting down getting up into her face so that they were almost nose to nose. "Hey there new girl, nice to meet you, I'm Demyx! Who are you, do you know Riku?"

"Oh I forgot you two don't know her yet, sorry. Zexion, Demyx, this is my new friend front school, Jessica. And before you ask, yes Demyx, she's the one I told you about earlier. Uh, yeah, we better order soon or it'll never get here." Riku blushed, taking the phone off the hook so that they could call in an order, Jessica wondering why he seemed so uncomfortable all of the sudden.

"Oh she is, is she?" The other boy said, Zexion presumably. The chair on Jessica's other side was pulled out, the indigo haired boy dropping down gracefully into it. "I'm Zexion, Riku's older brother. Nice to meet you, Jessica, Riku said I'd probably meet you soon. He also informed me that I would like you and that we'd probably become friends very quickly."

"Oh really, is that what he said?" Jessica asked with a laughed mischievously, shooting an amused look at Riku over her shoulder, noting the extremely embarrassed look on his face. "So what else did he say about me Zexion?"

"Oh let me tell her Zexy, I wanna, I wanna!" Demyx whined bouncing up and down in his chair, Zexion nodding. "Riku said he really lik-"

"That's more than enough about that, thank you Demyx." Riku let out a nervous laugh, his hand over Demyx's mouth keeping him silent. Jessica gave him a questioning look which he ignored. He let go of Demyx, who pouted at being made to stop talking in such a brutal manner, and dialed a number. "Hello? Yes, I'd like to place an order. For delivery, at 3905 West Palm Street as quickly as you possibly can. Yes, the usual order, thank you."

"Jessica, wanna come up stairs with me and Zexy and watch a movie until the food gets here? We're watching… um… darn I forgot it… oh yeah, 'Howl's Moving Castle.' It's a really good movie, and we could start it over if you want. Please, please will you come?" Demyx asked tugging on her sleeve. She looked up at Riku who looked agitatedly down on the blonde not even noticing that she was looking at him.

"I can't Demyx, I really should stay with Riku you know since he is the one who invited me here to dinner and abandoning him wouldn't be a very nice thing to do to a friend." Jessica said, watching Riku over Demyx's shoulder as he turned and looked at her, smiling when she called him her friend.

"Oh, Riku won't mind!" Demyx smiled standing up and dragging her after him. Jessica shot a pleading glance in Riku's direction as she was drug across the kitchen after the hyper blonde. Riku rushed to her aid, detaching Demyx from her arm. "What gives Riku, we're gonna go watch a movie together!"

"No, Jessica's my friend and she's staying with me. Go back up with Zexion and do whatever it was you were doing before she showed up until dinner gets here." Riku said firmly, glancing at his brother who sighed and rose from the table, pulling Demyx out of the room so that it was just Riku, Jessica, and Sephiroth who had gone unnoticed so far where he stood watching over by the counter. "So what do you want to do now?"

"I don't really know Riku, any suggestions?" Jessica asked innocently, trying to banish the thoughts that had popped up unbidden into her mind.

_I want kiss you right now, I want to hear you tell me you felt that electric shudder when our hands first touched when we first met on the side of the road two days ago, I want you ta take your shirt back off so I can continue staring…_

"Let me think… I got it!" Riku smiled, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her quickly out of the room. "Come on, you'll want to see this. I just know it, you'll love it."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"Move over a little Zexy, I can't see anything! Quit hogging the damn keyhole!" Demyx shoved the said teenager sideways to get a better view through the keyhole they were both crowded around. "Why would Riku take Jessica to the greenhouses anyways?"

"Well I'm sure I don't know." Zexion said second before dealing the other a savage blow in the chest causing Demyx to call backwards away from the door. Taking advantage of the situation, Zexion plopped down on Demyx's chest keeping him pinned to the tiled hallway floor as he spied on his brother.

"Hey, no fair no fair! Zexy, that's against the rules, you can't sit on me!" Demyx whined childishly, attempting to push Zexion off of his body. Zexion shushed him sternly, a finger pressed to his thin lips.

"I want to hear what Riku's telling Jessica, be quiet Demyx." Zexion murmured to the disgruntled blonde under him so that Riku wouldn't hear through the door. When Demyx continued to pout, Zexion bent down swiftly and gave him a hasty peck on the lips. "Be a good little boy for me while I spy on my devious younger brother Riku and there's more where that came from, love."

Demyx smiled, nodding his head in approval. Of course, Zexion knew by now that it was possible to get Demyx to do just about anything if you plied him with gentle kisses, just like a certain spiky haired younger brother of Demyx's…

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"No peeking now!" Riku smiled to himself, enjoying how he was evidently torturing her.

"Riku, get your hands away from my eyes, I wanna see!" Jessica complained in a voice that radiated her amusement. Caught between her feelings of excited curiosity as to where Riku had taken her and the nervous terrified feeling at having someone she barely knew drag her around with his hand over her eyes so she couldn't see, Jessica was at a loss for words as Riku led her from one room to the next.

"Alright, here we are, ready?" Riku asked, laughing when she shook her head, his hands still pressed to her face to keep her from seeing where she was. Riku smiled as she continued to fidget. "Okay, open your eyes!"

"They are open!" Jessica huffed, reaching up and pushing his hands away. Five seconds pause before she turned to face him, a smile already in place just for him as she slid her hand into his. "It's scary how well you seem to know me after only two days Riku, you know that?"

"So I did well huh? Well enough that in chess I'd call out checkmate right about now?" Riku asked, squeezing her hand softly. She nodded but stayed silent, secretly thinking he'd had her beaten that moment on the side of the road when he'd first smiled at her. He'd taken her to the greenhouse in the back of the house where the gardener Marluxia tended to the plants and flowers there. "Shall we look around for a while then? I bet you're just dying to see the roses."

"You have roses here too?" Jessica asked with awe in her voice. _I like him more already…_

"Of course we have roses, no greenhouse or garden is complete without at least a few roses." Riku smiled knavishly as she bounced up and down, giggling girlishly as he led her through the rows of flowers to a bunch at the very back. Boxes upon boxes of blooming roses of course: red, yellow, violet, and –

"White roses," Whispered softly as the breeze, deep chocolate eyes wide as her fingers gently brushed the fragile white petals of rose newly in bloom. Riku's hand moved to rest over hers, his fingers tenderly stroking the back of her hand as he inches closer to her until his chest just barely touched her back. "Riku, what are you doing?"

He didn't respond with words. Jessica felt his hadns run sowly up her armsm holding her gently. _Oh shit, what do I do, what do I do..._

"Riku…" She turned around slowly looking up into his face, her eyes twinkling. He beamed happily at her as his drew nearer to her, Jessica's eyes sliding shut instinctively when he cupped her chin in his hand.

"Riku, JESSICA, THE CHINESE FOOD IS HERE!" Zexion and Demyx shouted together very loudly through the door of the greenhouse. Jessica started at the noise and pulled away, stuttering something about 'not meaning to' before quickly slipping out of the greenhouse doors leaving a very startled looking Riku behind, his hand still held out in midair holding onto something that was no longer there.

"There you are Jessica, I was worried sick! Zexy and Sephy and I were beginning to wonder where you ran off to with that little silver haired scoundrel." Demyx chirped as she entered through the kitchen doors seeming embarrassed, him grabbing her by the wrist immediately and pushing her down none too gently into a seat between himself and Zexion who was too immersed in a rather large novel to notice anything else around him. Sephiroth took his seat at the head of the table looking politely amused as Riku sauntered into the kitchen looking slightly depressed, even more so when he noticed the seating arrangements. "Riku, come sit down! You can sit across from Jessica!"

"Or you could just let me sit next to her Demyx." Riku suggested sourly, glaring at the brunette with such ferocity that Jessica laughed so hard that she went into a well places and unintentionally executed coughing fit that left her breathless. Thankfully no one but Sephiroth seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary about her sudden desire to hock up a lung but, acting on the fact that Jessica hadn't said anything about it and didn't seem as though she was going to anytime soon, stayed silent against his better judgment.

"Now why would I do that? Then I couldn't sit by her!" Demyx said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Riku took a seat looking sullen, then opened his mouth to speak. Strangely enough, Demyx cut him off before he could utter a word. "And before you say anything I wouldn't ask Zexy to move either. He's too sucked into that weird book to pay any attention to anyone – including me!"

"What book are you reading Zexion?" Jessica asked him, her hands folded neatly in her lap as Demyx and Riku started opening all the oriental looking containers. He looked up, pausing before he answered her.

"I know it's kind of girly but… Jane Eyre." Zexion looked back at his book.

"Oh I've read that!" Jessica said enthusiastically. Zexion looked up, wide eyed.

"Really, you have read it?" Zexion asked sounding astonished. Riku's mouth hung open slightly as Demyx sighed looking bored now that the conversation had turned towards reading material. "Most people haven't even HEARD of this book, let alone read it! Did you like it?"

"Very much, actually, once I got into it. I found the beginning a bit dull and distasteful." Jessica frowned, the look on her face rivaling one of someone with motion sickness after riding a roller coaster. "The beginning sucked, but other than that it was extremely good."

"I know, the beginning was dreadful," Zexion chatted animatedly, Riku secretly thinking this was the first time he had ever heard his brother so enthusiastic. "I mean, who could ever be that cruel to a child? It's unheard of in today's society! People don't abuse and neglect children like they used to that long ago."

Jessica looked down at her plate without really seeing it, not bothering to reply to Zexion's unfeeling comment. Zexion peered into her face, then looked up at Riku who looked as shocked and confused as he did himself before shrugging and letting it go.

"Are we gonna eat or what?" Demyx, of course, hadn't noticed anything at all, he'd been too busy blocking the conversation and playing with his straw. Everyone nodded and dinner began. "I don't see why they always give you so many chop sticks, it's not like anyone can eat with them but Uncle Sephy and Zexy over there."

"I can eat with chopsticks." Jessica said, looking over at Demyx. He handed her a pair wordlessly. "Do you want me to show you how Demyx?"

"Please, could you? That would be so oober cool!" Demyx bounce up and down in his seat as she took his hands, correcting the way he held the chopsticks. She looked up at Riku slyly from behind her curtain of hair that had fallen in her face, noting the peculiar look he wore as she touched Demyx's hand. "Okay, I think I got it!"

Demyx tried, failed, tired again, and eventually gave up and stuck to stabbing through his food with one stick like it was a shish-cabob. Jessica and Riku didn't talk at all as they ate, instead listening to Zexion talking to Sephiroth about how society's morals were rapidly disappearing as Demyx sang along loudly with his Ipod. Just as she was beginning to get comfortable being around all these new people, Riku kicked her making her choke on her egg role. Sephiroth gave her a sideways look which she ignored clearing her throat. _It was an accident, why would her kick me if I haven't done anything to him? Now it if happens again, I'll – _

Riku's foot tapped the toe of her shoe gently, pressing his foot against the side of hers. She blushed, acting as though she hadn't felt a thing or hadn't noticed. Acting as though she wasn't secret pleased when he did it a third time. She pushed back against his the next time he attempted it. He dropped his fork laughing into his sweet and sour chicken, quickly murmuring some made up lame excuse about a joke Sora had told him earlier that he'd just now understood when Zexion and Demyx shot him funny looks from across the table. Sephiroth smiled knowingly at Jessica when she glanced at him to see if he had noticed what was going on making her think he must know exactly what was going happening her and his nephew.

_I'm glad somebody knows what's happening between me and Riku – I'm not even sure what the heck's going on here. I've never acted this open around a boy before unless you count my brother of course, I don't act like this around boys at all. I used to stay away from boys, I used to tell boys off when they flirted with me and threw drinks in their faces when they asked me on dates. I've turned down every boy that ever asked me out at my old school, even the good looking ones and ones I actually liked. It's easier on everyone if I just don't get involved, that way if I get suddenly worse no body gets hurt…_

"That was the best, I'm glad you decided to stay for dinner tonight Jessica. Tonight's been really fun for me." Riku smiled at her as Sephiroth cleared the table. Jessica smiled back sweetly, glancing casually at the clock. She gasped.

"Is that really what time it is?" Jessica asked, hoping the clock was wrong. _It can't be 9:30 pm already! _Riku nodded looking confused at her sudden panic. She stood up and ran for the door, Riku hurriedly following after her. "I gotta get home right now! They'll have been expecting me to get in ages ago!"

"Wait Jessica, hold on a second! Let me drive you home, its way too dark to go walking through the streets." Riku grabbed a set of car keys hanging on a hook beside the front door. "I'm sure Zexion won't mind if we take his car so that you get home faster. Let's get going then Jessica."

He opened her car door for her and she slipped inside, Jessica not even bothering to put on her seatbelt as he shut the door for her and climbed inside slowly, Riku wanting to take his time and Jessica wanting him to hurry. They drove in a complete and comfortable silence, Riku basking in the glow of his almost perfect evening as Jessica prayed that she would be able to sneak in through the back window to her room without her father or stepmother catching her sneaking in and how terrible things could turn out. Very different people from completely different backgrounds, different thoughts floating through their minds bouncing off their brains in the silence. When Riku finally stopped the car across the street from Jessica's house he took her hand.

"This one is for you, Jessica." Riku pressed something into Jessica's other hand, pressing down against her fingers to get them to close around it. Looking down at her hand she saw the most beautiful white rose she had ever seen, halfway in bloom, attached to the long green stem which she held tightly. She looked up into his eyes, noting how they reminded her of the ocean waves that lapped at the shoreline. Detecting that the color of his hair reminded her of starlight and moonbeams falling through her window in the darkness of the night. Observing the way the muscles in his arms rippled fantastically in his sleeveless tee shirt as he eased over to lean over closer to her without breaking the bond between their eyes. Noticing he was once again inching closer to her, his face getting so close that she could feel his warm breath every time he exhaled.

_His nose has a little bump at the top, funny the things you notice when two people get close together. Wait, what's going on? I barely know him and he's getting so close to me. This can't be the right thing to do; I mean, just sit here and let him get this close to me. I don't even know him that well… _Things were rapidly spiraling out of her control and she didn't know what was going on. Demyx and Zexion weren't there to save her from destruction this time…

"Riku, what are you doing?" Jessica pulled away just as his hand came up and brushed her cheek, practically falling out of the car when she opened the door. "I have to go now, I'm sorry. Thanks for the ride, goodbye."

She ran across the street, not bothering to answer when he called her name. Jessica snuck around the house and to the back window, tapping on it lightly only after she heard his car speed away. Brandon opened it at once, helping her climb inside the room.

"Do you have any idea what time it is Jessica? I was so damn worried about you. You should have at least call me on my cell phone and told me where you were or something!" How the parentals didn't hear was a miracle. Brandon was yelling at her of course, quite loudly in fact. Jessica turned away to face the opposite wall, feeling the killer migraine that came when she forgot to take her medicine slowly creeping up on her as she did so making her feel nauseous and dizzy. She swayed where she stood, coughing and clutching at her neck as though she was choking. "I thought you had more sense than to pull something like this. I hate to sound like you parent or something, but hell knows our actual ones don't even know you were gone, I told them you didn't feel well and were lying down. That was so irresponsible of you Jessica, I – what's wrong?"

She had turned back around to face him, her skin cold and oddly pale, her eyes half closed. Without a word she collapsed, passing out cold, falling right into her brother's arms before he could so much as blink. At first he did nothing, just stood there staring down at his sister's face before it finally sunk it. Brandon shook her roughly, called her name, trying desperately to wake her up to no avail. Placing her gently on the bed he pulled out his cell phone and dialed three numbers he was rapidly becoming accustomed to pushing, 9-1-1.

"Hello I need assistance, this is an emergency. I need an ambulance right now at 3621 North Fern Street, Destiny Providence. My twin sister just collapsed, passed out cold." Brandon said through tears, gasping his sister's wrist to check for a pulse. It was rapid and faint, but it was there.

"**_Is there anything else you can tell me about your sister? I need as much information as possible on her or I can't send an ambulance."_**

"Why the hell can't you send an ambulance?" Brandon asked, shocked. _Damn it, I can't even tell if she's still breathing. I can't get a pulse, my hands are shaking too bad. Please don't let it be too late…_

"**_Policy, young man, I'm sorry. We need medical records to be able to send an ambulance or the hospital in question could fine us. I'm afraid there is no record of anyone from that address ever visiting a doctor's office and no health insurance can be found for the people that are listed as living there."_**

"Look, my sister needs an ambulance or she dies! I don't think you understand the severity of what you're doing by refusing to send an ambulance." Brandon nearly screamed, thinking better of it lest he wake his father or stepmother. Better for them to wake up when the ambulance arrived and there were paramedics around so that no one got hurt. Tears rose in Brandon's as he looked at his sister's lifeless face. "Please, my sister is very sick. We just recently lost our Mother and my sister…"

"**I'm afraid I have bad news." I was beginning to think that was the only kind of news doctors had to give. First I loose my Mother, then they run tests on my sister without telling me, then they run tests on me 'just to be safe', and now they had MORE bad news. **

"**What is it? What's wrong now?" Jessica sounded scared, more scared than I had ever heard her in my entire life. **

"**Miss, can I speak with you out in the hallway privately for a moment?" The doctor didn't want me to know whatever it was. I flipped him off in my mind, taking my sister's hand to calm her.**

"**No, you can't. Anything you have to tell me you can tell my brother too. Whatever it is, I want Brandon to know too." Jessica squeezed my hand. I couldn't help but notice it was a weaker grasp than normal, that she looked frailer and sicklier than I could ever remember her being. Her eyes, too, looked dimmer than usual without the spark that normally shone there like a lit match. The doctor looked nervous. "Just tell us. Is it the test results?"**

"**It is, actually. Young man, your tests came back negative which means you're perfectly healthy." He paused, looking directly at my sister's face. "I'm afraid, however, that you weren't quite as fortunate Miss…"**

"My sister… has cancer."

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"Brandon, we're over here!" Namine, calling loudly across the lobby in the early morning of the next day jogging Brandon out of his dark depressing thoughts making him look up. He waved, changing course heading towards them. "There you are, we were beginning to wonder if you'd ever show up. How are you, Brand- oh my God, are you okay Brandon? You look absolutely terrible, did something happen to you? It looks like you're about to fall over."

"I was at the hospital all night, didn't really get much sleep. The annoying nurses wouldn't let me doze off even for a minute." Brandon yawned widely, slumping against the wall nearest him and closing his eyes immediately.

"Why was ya at the hospital? Ya have a' accident yest-day or sumpin'?" Wakka asked sounding confused and a little concerned. "Is ya okay den Brandon?"

"I wasn't there for my sake, I was there for Jessica. She… passed out last night." Brandon hadn't really lied to his new friends, but he immediately felt like he had. He couldn't tell them the whole reason as to why his sister had been taken to the hospital, Jessica had made her decision and he had to stick to it.

"**But _why _Jessica, why are you asking me to do this?" I asked, confused. My sister wasn't making any sense at the moment, and my sleep deprived brain just couldn't comprehend.**

"**I don't want everyone feeling sorry for me as soon as we set foot in the school. And our Father doesn't need to know." Jessica explained as she pulled on her hoodie, looking our of the hospital windows for our Father, who was coming to collect us, the court had ordered that we had to go live with him until they found our Mother's will to see what she had wanted as far as who our legal guardians were. "We both know that if our father found out he wouldn't take me in at all. He doesn't have the money to take care of me if I needed to stay at the hospital if I got worse."**

"**You won't get worse, don't say that!" I hadn't meant to shout at her, but that was how it came out. She looked taken aback. "Please, I can't stand to hear you say things like that. One of us has to be positive, mainly you. You'll be fine, you have to get better."**

"**Now who's the positive one?" She smiled, laughing like her old self. The old Jessica that wasn't burdened with the knowledge that she had cancer that could knock her over dead if it worsened poked through in that moment cheering me up and giving me hope that maybe everything COULD be okay after all. **

"**There's Dad's car, let's go." I said softly, heading for the doors. She grabbed my wrist staying me. **

"**Brandon, please promise me that you'll never ever tell anyone that I have leukemia. If anyone's gonna find out then I need to tell them myself." Jessica's eyes bored into me making me nervous. "Promise me."**

"**I promise."**

"Oh my God, is she going to be okay?" Tidus asked sounding nervous. I nodded and he sighed in relief, running a hand through his messy blonde hair. "Is it okay if we go see her? Can we go visit her after school today or is she too in need of rest to receive visitors?"

"You can go see her after school Tidus, she'd really like that. She's doing a lot better today." Brandon yawned again just as the bell sounded. He pulled his bag up higher on his shoulder, heading towards his first period without another word to any of them. Reaching first period, he threw down his bag, flopped into his seat, and laid his head down on his desk not caring what anybody, including the teacher, thought of his sleeping in class.

"Good morning everyone, today's just great!" Brandon moaned, pulling his hood up higher over his head. _Why can't people just keep their damn mouths shut? Just for today, just one God damn day! I spent all last night at the bloody hospital talking to nurses and doctors, trying to keep our Father from strangling my sister, and explaining why we couldn't pay the fucking bill for the ambulance. Damn… _"Brandon?"

"Sleeping, go away now." Brandon murmured not caring how rude he was to whoever was trying to talk to him, his brain too tired to give him any clues as to who it was.

"Brandon, are you okay? It's me, Sora, you're new friend remember? Talk to me! Earth to Brandon, come in come in! Permission to land the plane, please respond, hello-hello." Sora patted Brandon lightly on the top of the head repeatedly until he finally looked up. Sora frowned upon seeing Brandon's face, kneeling down in front of his desk to get him in eye level. "What's wrong did something happen to you?"

"My twin sister passed out late last night, so I spent all last night at the hospital with her to make her feel better and keep her calm as they poked her like a pin cushion with needles, which she happens to be deadly afraid of now that I think about it." Brandon explained tiredly to the sad looking brunette, vaguely wondering just how many times he was going to have to explain his 'sister's condition and why he was so damn tired' throughout the day. "She's doing fine now, a lot better. I'm going to visit her after school with a few friends to check up on her and see if she needs anything."

"Poor sick little female thing, I feel bad for her. I wish there was something I could do for her… oh, I know! I'll come too when you go to see her, if you doing mind me coming of course." Sora asked making Brandon smile even through his pain. He nodded, and Sora beamed looking happy considering the bad circumstances. "Great, I can get my brother to drive us all up there if you want. He has a van because he carts the instruments for his band from one gig to another."

"That would be good, I still can't drive." Brandon yawned loudly again laying his head back on his folded arms on the desk while still looking over at Sora. Sora stroked Brandon's hair softly making him feel a little better. The simple beautiful act done in pure innocence and tenderness touched his heart – not that he was about to tell Sora that any time soon for fear of embarrassment. "I don't even know what she was doing last night Sora, she went out for a walk and when she came home finally she passed out. I don't know what happened to make her just collapse like that."

"I know where she was last night. She was with Riku until she had him drive her home." Sora said thoughtlessly. Brandon looked up giving him a curious look. Sora shrugged childishly, slipping into his desk beside Brandon's and pulling out his book for the lesson. "Riku called around ten last night after I'd gone to bed and told me they'd hung out after school until pretty late. He said that Jessica was walking past his house when he was painting the fence, he greeted her and they started talking, and finally Riku asked her to stay for dinner. She agreed, there was some Chinese food eaten, and then he drove her home when she said she was late getting home and didn't want to get in trouble."

"So that's why she didn't come home right away. She was actually out having fun for once." Brandon sighed exasperatedly, finally giving in to the complaints of his exhausted body and closing his eyes. _She was hanging out with a hottie while I was at home covering for her ass. That is so unfair! And she got Chinese food? I didn't even get any dinner because she wasn't there to cook anything. Damn it, I should have learned to cook when I had the chance…_

"Um, Brandon, can I ask you something really quick before you fall asleep on me?" Sora asked nervously, unsure whether or not he really wanted to ask whatever question he had in his mind. Brandon nodded stiffly, not bothering to opening his crystalline eyes and mean the sapphire ones staring through him. "Who's gonna tell Riku about this?"

_What does he mean who's gonna tell Riku? Why Riku would even care about my sister being in the hospital unless – oh shit, I didn't think of that…_

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Jessica sighed, the fingers of her left hand deafly toying with the crisp linen sheets of the bed as she turned the pages of the book she had asked a nurse to bring her from the hospital library so that she had something to do. _This book is pretty good, just like the other six in the series. I never realized quite how good The Edge Chronicles were until I got to read them one right after the other simple because I had nothing better to do. I just adore how sweetly naïve and innocent Twig is, Quint's ego, Rook's bravery and loyalty… _

Her brother had left early in the morning to go to school, her stepmother and father had gone home as expected after the doctors explained that they wouldn't have to pay for her being in the hospital of for the ambulance once they'd spoken to her mother's old doctors, and the nurses had finally left her alone to rest and read her book. _No more God damn needles being pricked into my arms. Yuck, I hate needles, they just freak me out. I thought they'd never stop poking me. How many tests do they have to run before they figure out what's wrong with someone? I mean really, come on…_

"Excuse me Miss, I'm sorry to bother you like this while you're resting but you have some visitors here to see you. Shall I let them into see you or send them away?" A pretty blonde nurse popped her head around the door, smiling. Jessica nodded when she asked to let them in, setting her book aside while wondering why the word visitor was said as a plural. _Who would anyone come to see me besides my brother? No body else even knows I'm in the hospital._ There was a knock at her door, then the subtle creaking of it opening. Upon looking up, she smiled as familiar faces that came streamed into the room. Her twin brother walked in first before the small crowd taking the empty seat beside her bed as her other friends came spilling in.

"We come bearing gifts." Sora smiled setting a small box of chocolates at the foot of her bed.

"We hope you get better soon, art classes aren't quite the same without you there to delight Professor Sephiroth." Namine, Yuna, and Rikku said handing her the card they had made in their free time. Opening it she laughed, her eyes falling it once on her professor's large loopy signature and hopes that she would be well soon.

"Me next, me next, mine's the bestest! I got you a present too, I hope you like it!" Demyx bound forward with a burnt CD in his hands for her which she set on her bedside table after promising to listen to it later. "Give her yours Zexy, she'll love it!"

"You're probably always read it, but there you go." Zexion set a large book on her bedside table labeled J.R.R. Tolkien's Collected Works – Including the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Jessica smiled, patting the cover lightly with a smile plastered on her face.

"I was really surprised when Sora told me." Roxas said sadly, the worry wrinkle in his forehead quite obvious. He tied a large heart shaped balloon to the post at the end of her bed. "It's not much, but I thought you'd like it."

"Hey Girly, stay tough and don't let them see you cry." Paine said sternly, tossing a couple of magazines on the table beside her bed with her collection of other trinkets. "Wakka had basketball practice or he would have come too. He sends his hopes that you'll get better soon so we can all hang out again."

"I – I hope you like it." Tidus stuttered stepping forward thrusting a small black stuffed bear holding a heart into her arms, blushing furiously. She smiled at him, squeezing the bear tightly.

"Thank you so much guys, you're the best friends a sick girl could ask for. I feel better already having all of you here." Jessica smiled and laughed, her eyes filed with happy joyous tears. Everyone crowded around the bed all talking at once, smiling and laughing as though they had all gotten together just to talk, none of them remembering their previous arguments with each other, the preps hanging out with the losers just for Jessica's sake. _Don't I feel particularly special right now, oh so loved! Each half hates the other, and yet they're pretending to get along for me. If this is what it's truly like to have friends, I never want to be alone again…_

"Do I have the right room number? I'm here to see a friend of mine. Her brother informed me she was a little sick and in need of some company." The crowd quieted as if it were a signal, dispersing slightly away from the edge of the bed facing the door so that Jessica could see who it was that next entered her room carrying a dozen or so white roses held together with a thick black ribbon tied in a bow. _Now that I see who it is, I bet it was a signal. He probably thought this all up… _

Jessica smiled girlishly as though flattered, waving a hand lazily for Riku to join the group around her bed. With a small smile he complied, setting the roses in a vase beside her bed, Brandon giving Riku his chair and motioning for the others to follow out of the room. Just as the door shut, they saw the way Riku's fingers touched Jessica's hand so very gently.

And not caring what anyone thought, she took his hand in hers.

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And thus the fourth chapter is finished!!!! Yay for me and for you that read it and hopefully liked it!!! Please review this chapter, as a Valentine's present?


	5. Chapter 5: Death and a Bookstore

I don't own Kingdom Heart… if I did there would be a lot more of Riku, Axel and Zexion)… or Pizza Hut. Once again, phone conversations are in **_bold italics_** and thoughs are in _italics_. Yeah, that's about it.

And now the chapter!

* * *

As the door shut leaving them alone, Riku got up from the chair slowly moving to sit on the edge of her bed to get closer to the sick girl, pulling her to him in a hug. Jessica hesitated before hugging back, Riku's one comfort being that her hand still holding his tightly so that he didn't even notice her hesitation.

"Are you feeling any better Jessica?" Riku asked as he pulled back, his fingers tightening around hers somewhat. She nodded and he smiled in a reassured sort of way. Riku studied her face critically, his eyes searching her face. "What exactly happened last night after I took you home Jessica? Your brother was rather vague on the details, all he said was that you had been in the hospital since late last night."

"I really don't know what happened yet, the doctors haven't told me anything." Jessica lied, her eyes darting towards the ceiling. _Why does it feel so wrong to lie to him? I didn't have any problems with the others when they asked me what happened before he showed up. Why does Riku make it feel so wrong to me when no one else does?_

"Do you like the flowers? I had Marluxia cut the only best ones from the garden, and I went out and bought the ribbon for you myself." Jessica sighed in relief at Riku changing the subject; apparently he hadn't picked up on her fib. Her fingers curled around the vase scooting it across the table bringing it closer to her bed so she could see them properly. "The ribbon's actually why it took me so long getting here, I'm sorry I didn't get here to see you sooner."

"No, don't be sorry Riku. I love the flowers, and the ribbon. And besides, you were only about ten minutes behind the others." Jessica laughed at Riku's pleased expression, her fingers brushing the petals of a bloom ever so gently as she smiled back up at him. "I hope they tell me what's going on soon. I hate just waiting here like this, it bores me so much. I wish there was something to do around here."

"Not that I was eavesdropping or anything Miss, I only heard you as I was walking past the door, but if you're looking for something to do why not go for a walk down in the hospital gardens? I'll tell the doctors where you are if they get the test results in before you get back." A kindly little nurse said from the hall, sticking her head into the room.

"I don't know…" Jessica started, but Riku took over.

"That would be smashing, thanks a lot Ma'am. If you'd really be so kind as to tell the doctors for us if they come looking then we'll be off to the garden." Riku shot her a polite smile as she nodded in approval and walked out before turning back to a stunned looking Jessica. He pouted when she shook her head at him. "Oh come on Jessica, it'll be fun! The fresh air will do you good I bet, and I'll go with you so you won't be lonely. Come for a walk with me, please?"

"Alright, I suppose there isn't much else for me to do now is there?" She gave in, allowing Riku to help her up from the bed, unhook the necessary cables from the wall, wrapped a warm woolen blanket around her shoulders and they were out the door. Hand in hand they walked the gardens for nearly an hour, talking of anything and everything that came to mind. They shared all their secrets and fears with each other, a mountain of stories and memories until the same small nurse came and found them.

"I'm sorry Miss, but the doctors want to have a word with you. They said it's urgent." Riku shot Jessica a confused look that she ignored as they hurried back inside after the nurse that had summoned them. Once Jessica was back inside her room the nurse left them with a few final words. "They'll be at your room in a moment with the results, and I hope you'll be prepared for them."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Riku asked her, worried. Jessica bit her lip, trying to think of what to say. Riku it seemed had also been mulling things over, for just as Jessica opened her mouth to explain, he said, "You don't think they found anything too serious do you? Is that what the nurse meant do you suppose?"

"I don't know Riku, I really couldn't tell you." She felt that pang of guilt in the pit of her stomach as she lied to him yet again, secretly wishing she had just told him the truth the first time so that she didn't have to keep faking her confusion. "It's getting dark Riku, you should get home before someone gets too worried about you. I can handle things here on my own."

_Really, I can. I practically lived in a hospital back home, this one's not that different, not that you know about that…_

"No, I'll stay with you at least until the doctors get here. I don't like the idea of leaving you here all alone like this, it just doesn't feel right." Riku said softly, holding her hand tighter than before. She looked down at the way they had their fingers laced and smiled to herself, wishing she could explain why it way the sight made her feel so happy inside. It was then that the two doctors returned, walking briskly in ruining the tender moment between the two.

"Excuse me son, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave now." The eldest of the doctors said, moving aside so that.

"Why, Jessica wants me here." Riku said a little angrily. Riku stood up and opened his mouth to retort back angrily which he did. "Anything you have to tell her you can tell me. She wants me here, right Jessica?"

"Just go Riku, do what they said. I'm fine, you can come back to see me tomorrow." Jessica told him, watching in pain as his face fell. She knew she had let him down, but Jessica was determined that no one find out about her one deep dark secret until she was ready to tell them. He let go of her hand, walking passed the pair of doctors huddled in the room by the door without a backwards glance in her direction. Waiting to speak until she was sure Riku was long gone Jessica sighed. "Well, what did you learn from the tests? And before you tell me the news, I already know about the leukemia so you don't have to tell me about that."

"We looked at your old hospital reports after assessing your tests and noticed, shall we say, major differences between the two." The elderly doctor sighed taking off his spectacles and wiping them off slowly before turning to look at his companion who cleared his throat and picked up where the first had left off. "I'm afraid the cancer isn't as under control as your last doctor may have led you to believe my dear, the test results show a much wider diseased area than do your old reports your last hospital sent us. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but we think the cancer may be spreading."

* * *

Riku walked through the large white doors of the hospital, striding confidently through the halls towards the room his newest friend had occupied the day before. The key word in that being 'had' in that statement. Upon reaching the door of the room he found it wide open, and looking through it he found an empty bed.

"Excuse me, but can I ask you something?" He asked a passing nurse pushing a supply cart. She nodded, looking into the room behind him. "Where's the young lady that was in this room yesterday? Did she get released to go home early? I came by to pay her another visit."

"She's not at home, poor thing, and I'm sorry to say I'm not sure she's with us anymore." The woman sighed heavily making Riku feel very apprehensive. She looked him over once before elaborating. "If you want to know what happened to her, I'd enquire about it at the front desk. I've told you all that I have a heart to say."

Riku palled, fearing the worst immediately. Dropping the single white rose clutched in his hand he sprinted back towards the front of the hospital as fast as he could, skidding to a halt in front of the receptionist's desk panting hard. The man behind the counter looked up at him, a little shocked to see him so out of breathe.

"May I help you sir?"

"I'm looking for a friend of mine, she was here yesterday." Riku choked out between breathes. "Her first name's Jessica, brunette, brown eyes, and I'd tell you her last name if I knew it but I don't."

"I think I know who you're talking about." He frowned as though upset and wrote down directions and a room number for Riku that happened to be on the third floor of the building. Looking at it Riku headed for the stairs, skipping two at a time. Reaching the correct floor, he followed the directions through the halls, finally stopping in front of a door leading off to another hall with a plaque reading 'Critical Unit' above it. Ignoring this, Riku stepped inside, his eyes falling on a truly heartbreaking sight.

Sitting just outside one of the many doors was a disheveled looking Brandon, his back pressed against the wall, sobbing into his knees wildly as Sora stroked his hair whispering into his ear all the while, evidently trying to comfort him the best he could. Feeling as if in a trance Riku walked slowly over to them, kneeling down in front of the saddened pair, both of whom looked up. A spilt second's recognition later and Riku found Brandon holding him close in a desperate hug, the devastated brother crying into his shoulder as Sora continued to pat him on the back.

"What's happened, she was fine yesterday when I saw her." Riku said in hushed toned, still hoping this wasn't real. "Is she alright, what's going on Brandon?"

"She got worse unexpectedly during the night when no one was with her. God, I feel so stupid! I shouldn't have left her alone last night!" Brandon sobbed, his face tear from his tears. A doctor came suddenly out of the room beside them and they all stood up quickly, Sora and Riku supporting the other between them. "How is she doing?"

"I'm sorry to have to tell you all this, but I'm afraid she didn't pull through. Jessica has died…."

"Sir, excuse me? Sir, did you hear me? I said she's in room 144 around the corner." Riku broke out of his trance, surprised to find himself staring at the male behind the counter still. His thoughts must have run away with him, Riku thought as he mentally hit himself for thinking so negatively. "I said she's in room 144 around that corner there."

"Thank you." Riku said, swiftly heading in the direction he had pointed. Riku burst into room 144, relieved to find Jessica sleeping soundly in the bed just inside the door. She looked no different from the day before, much to his relief. Brandon was sitting in the chair by her bed doing hid Pre-Algebra homework. "Hey Brandon, I guess I came at a bad time huh?"

"Not really, she's been asleep all day they said." Brandon said shutting his book and looking up. He hadn't been crying by the look of his eyes, but Riku saw a sadness there he hadn't noticed the day before. "They won't tell me anything. Apparently they told Jessica what they found last night, but she refuses to tell me anything too! I have absolutely no clue what's going on. It must not have been good news if they moved her to this room though; it a room for people expecting to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time."

"Don't worry too much Brandon; I'm sure she'd tell you if it was serious." Riku said warmly, patting Brandon on the shoulder. Brandon smiled, shoving his book back in his bag and standing up.

"Well there's no point sitting around here, she's not going to wake up any time soon. I'll come to see her tomorrow; hopefully she'll be awake then. See you at school then Riku." Brandon sighed, heading out of the open door.

"Get better soon Jessica," Riku whispered, creeping over to her bedside quietly. He swept a lock of hair from her forehead, leaning down to plant a soft tender kiss there before pulling back. As he reached the door he turned off the lights, whispering a promise as he did so- "I promise you Jessica, as long as you're in the hospital I'll come to visit you every day so you won't feel alone."

For a whole week Riku kept his promise, going to visit the girl every day. A nurse confided in Riku as he left one night after dark that she had heard 'that nice young lady he kept visiting' tell her brother one afternoon that the best part of the day for her were his visits. Riku's friends, on the other hand, weren't as ecstatic. He had blown several of them off numerous times to visit Jessica, and it was really starting to bother him. Not that they told him to his face.

"Hello Jessica, I came back to see y…" Riku cut off mid sentence as he entered the empty room. Just as he was about to rush out on the intent of running to the receptionist desk for the second time in the past two weeks, a voice stopped him.

"I thought I'd find you here. Jessica's not in the hospital anymore Riku." Riku turned and gazed at Sora leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed looking so very calm. He walked slowly over to Riku and put an arm around her shoulders in a friendly way. "She's gone home already Riku. I was here with Brandon when her parents came to get them. She asked me if I could please wait here for a while in case you showed up to visit like you did after school everyday."

"At least she's alright then." Riku sighed, heading out for his car with Sora in toe. "I won't lie, when I saw the empty room back there my mind jumped to the absolute worst situation ever."

"Riku…" Sora said softly, his eyes full of understanding. As far as he was concerned, there was no point asking, but he had to hear Riku's answer nonetheless. "You actually care about someone for once in your life huh? I mean you really do like Jessica, a whole lot, don't you?"

* * *

"Wow, I can't believe we've been here a whole month already!" Brandon sighed, stretching his arms above his head. _This is the life alright: lying in the tall grass on a Saturday with a few close friends, it couldn't get better than this. Well, it could get better than this I guess. I mean, I could have some cash in my wallet to blow on stuff for once, my jackass of a father and the step-bitch could die, Jessica could NOT have leukemia anymore…_

"This is nice, I actually am enjoying myself," said Paine, the small hint of amazement in her voice making the group laugh, Paine actually joining in for once. She smiled, getting up from her place on the grass to spin around in circles holding hands with Rikku until they both fell back onto the grass in a heap of giggles. "Wow, I am so out of character today it's not even funny."

"Maybe we should all lie out in the grass together more often, if only to make Paine function like a normal happy teenager again." Namine smiled getting a reproving poke between the eyes from the said usually grumpy female lying next to her.

"It's just too bad dear old Wakka couldn't be here too. His basketball schedule is really driving me crazy!" Rikku huffed, wiggling around to get comfortable. In the end she kicked Yuna in the side, slapped Paine in the face, and head butted Paine without being able to lie still. She sat up instead, giving up on being comfortable.

"Oh well, this is still nice without him here." Yuna smiled, patting Rikku on the hand. Rikku pulled away stood up as though struck with a brilliant idea, stretched with a large fake yawn, and laid back down – only this time across both Yuna and Namine so that both girls burst out into fits of giggles.

"Now I'm comfortable, this IS the life!" Rikku said through her giggles, her arms behind her head on Yuna's stomach. Yuna and Namine exchanged a look, counted to three silently and shoved Rikku off. She fell to the ground with a satisfying thump the two conspirators picked themselves up and dashed away from the disgruntled girl. Moments later, the chase was on, Paine watching her friends as she would a soap opera on television – down her nose."

"God, they are so childish." Paine sighed, laying back down and closing her eyes. _THUD! _Paine opened her eyes to see Rikku sitting on her chest with a wide grin on her face. Letting out a cry of anger Paine made to strangle her but Rikku jumped up just in time and went haring after Yuna and Namine again. Promising to mentally punish herself for it later, Paine sprang up and chased after Rikku, swearing to do everything in her power to make the blonde girl pay.

"Hey Brandon, can I ask you something?" Tidus asked rising up onto his elbows, the piece of grass he had been chewing on hanging out of his mouth limply. Brandon looked over at him from where he lay, nodding. "Where's your sister? I thought you said she'd be here."

"You know what Tidus…" Brandon sat up, gazing up at the sun as though fixated on in. "I actually couldn't tell you. I don't know where she's gone to today, I just woke up and she had already left the house. Come to think of it I kinda want to know where she went too." _She doesn't tell me anything anymore. I still don't know how she landed herself in the hospital last month. What's she hiding from me?_

"Hey Brandon, is that your cell phone going off? It's not mine I don't think…" Tidus pulled his phone. Brandon pulled out his phone and flipped it open.

"Hello?" Brandon couldn't remember giving anyone his number, but just in case…

**_"Hey, is Brandon there?"_**

"This is him…" Brandon said slowly, apprehensive as always. The only person with his number was his sister, and this totally wasn't her voice at all – in fact it sounded like a male voice...

Namine grabbed Rikku and Paine by the shoulders, nodding over in Brandon's direction. Yuna gaped, surprised to see the usually antisocial teenager was chatting happily on the phone, talking and laughing with someone who remained unknown.

"Great, I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes then, bye." Brandon smiled happily as he shut his phone, standing up and brushing the grass of his clothes as he headed for the road. "Hey guys, I gotta go. I have somewhere else to be…"

* * *

"Huh, I don't think I have this one yet." Jessica's fingers lingered over the volume before finally pulling it out and looking for a price tag. Her eyes widened sadly as she placed the book back onto the shelf. "Who am I kidding? I should be happy with the other three I picked out. Besides, like I can afford… what is HE doing here?"

She turned around, acting as if she hadn't just seen Riku walk past the front windows of the bookstore. Turning back around, she caught his eye as he glanced through the window. He smiled at her and waved, leaving him confused when her eyes traveled right past him before darting behind another shelf out of sight.

Riku tried to look around the shelves for her but couldn't catch a glimpse of her. Giving up ever meeting up with the others at Pizza Hut as he wrenched open the door of the small shop to step inside. A flash of brown hair caught his eye as she darted between shelves away from him, and finally Riku understood what was going on. Smiling to himself, Riku took up the chase.

After searching the whole store over he was still at a loss as to where she had gone. Looking towards the doors at the tinkling of the bell, Riku saw Jessica walking out of the store with her books in hand. Rushing after her, he stopped and bent down to pick up the book titled Teen Idol that she had dropped as she walked out. Opening it, he found a note scribbled hurriedly on the back of the receipt:

_Hey Riku,_

_I didn't know you liked Meg Cabot books too. You'll like this one a lot… if you haven't read it already of course._

_Yours truly, Jessica

* * *

_

Okay, so things are starting to heat up between our would-be couples. Next chapter, things take an unexpected turn – I'll leave it up to you to decide if it's a good or bad thing.

Until next time!


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